The look of exasperation on Lamine Yamal’s face at the end of the match said it all. That type of performance won’t get this team where it wants to go.
A draw was a very generous outcome for the Blaugrana. Real Betis were better in every aspect of the game from start to finish. More heart, more fight, and better tactics.
FBL-ESP-LIGA-BETIS-BARCELONA Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images
It doesn’t help that two of the players creating the most danger were former Barca castaways Vitor Roque and Ez Abde. Both players at the moment seem like they would fit the Hansi Flick system quite well, with their ability to get behind defensive lines. Meanwhile, aside from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, options on the forward line are looking slim.
Above all else, Barcelona has stopped playing with energy the past month. That’s what’s changed more than anything else.
Meanwhile, Real Betis has players like Chimy Ávila who come for your neck, and get away with it.
All that character that it seemed like Barcelona was building. Finally, showing toughness and physicality. Ramming the game down their opponents throat, is dying off. Instead, we are seeing glimpses of teams from the past that were coached under other managers.
Real Betis Balompie v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
Fragile, choking under pressure.
Teams that win La Liga find ways to pull out tough victories, even when it isn’t pretty. The last time Barcelona were champions of Spain, Xavi’s team was a master at pulling off 1-0 wins. And it wasn’t an accident, it was because of focus, and an identity they built and maintained over an extended period of time.
The way I see it, Barcelona has a very good starting eleven, when everyone is fully fit. Right now, several of the starters are clearly playing while not one hundred percent healthy. Furthermore, the bench is a big concern.
It’s strange that Flick goes from saying we need Raphinha in every minute of every game, which frankly I agree with, and then in the next game, pulls him with thirty minutes to play.
Real Betis Balompie v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
Ferran Torres was lucky that his go ahead goal counted. He was not paying attention, making no attempt to stay onside. Lamine, once again, was magical and trying to will his team forward to a win, and made another unbelievable assist.
Flick needed Raphinha on the field to end this game. This game, in my opinion, is more important than the Dortmund match in the Champions League midweek, where Barca are in a very good position to qualify for the knockout round.
La Liga, on the other hand, is becoming a dog fight.
Now, Real Madrid will likely continue to be a hot and cold team. This is a season where Barcelona should be running away with the league. But instead, they continue to throw their great rival a lifeline week after week.
Real Betis Sevilla v FC Barcelona - LaLiga EA Sports Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images
In Sevilla, they didn’t look like a team with a competitive spirit. They were soft, and they were lucky to come away with anything.
They have talent, but the work ethic and fight has been very inconsistent of late. All of that skill will get you no where if you don’t put in the effort to out work your opponent.
It was a silly penalty that Frenkie de Jong gave up. Along with Gavi, neither returning midfielder looks ready for primetime.
This team needs a shake up.
What happened to the collective team pressing? What happened to aggressively attacking with direct penetrating passes forward?
Is this team losing its way already?
Now, Joan Laporta and Hansi Flick should be looking at the upcoming winter transfer market seriously.
Real Betis V Fc Barcelona - Laliga Ea Sports Photo By Joaquin Corchero/Europa Press via Getty Images
Figure out who wants to be part of the opportunity to win trophies and make history, and who can’t summon the competitive fortitude.
Enough is enough.
The time for change has arrived.