Barcelona’s struggles in La Liga continued last night with a disappointing home defeat against Atletico Madrid.
This loss marks their third consecutive home defeat in the league this season, a rare and concerning trend for a club of Barcelona’s stature.
It has thrown the team into one of their worst runs of form in La Liga in recent memory, a situation that evokes memories of their difficulties under Frank Rijkaard in 2008.
What’s the record?
Barcelona have managed just one win in their last seven league matches, suffering four defeats and drawing twice in this period.
This dismal run mirrors their form from March 2008, when a 2-4 loss to Atletico Madrid began a similar slump. Back then, the team endured a stretch of nine games with just one victory, alongside four defeats and four draws.
Barcelona have lost three successive home league matches. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Although a 6-0 win against Valencia briefly provided hope, it was followed by another poor streak of eight matches with only one win.
There is more
The current scenario sees Barcelona sitting on 38 points after 19 matches, a tally heavily impacted by their inability to secure victories recently.
Historically, this is one of the worst mid-season points totals for the club since 2004. For comparison, during the 2020-21 season, Barcelona had 37 points at this stage under Ronald Koeman.
The following season was even bleaker, with a mere 31 points after 19 games, a period that saw Koeman, Sergi Barjuan, and Xavi all in charge at various points.
Hansi Flick now faces the challenging task of reversing this downward spiral. Barcelona’s next league match is not until January 18, when they will travel to Getafe.
This extended break provides Flick and his players an opportunity to regroup and address the issues plaguing the team. The hope will be to start the new year on a more positive note, leaving behind the poor results that have defined the end of 2024.