Setback in major competitions
The first team of the Spanish football club Barcelona returned to reality after a strong start to the season, following its loss to traditional rival Real Madrid by a score of 1-2 in the Spanish league. This is the first defeat of the 2026-2027 season and the second overall, after falling to French club Paris Saint-Germain by a score of 2-4 in the Champions League.
These two consecutive defeats suffered by the Catalan team have reignited doubts about the Spanish champion's ability to keep up with the strongest competitors. German coach Hansi Flick's Barcelona had dominated the domestic scene in the past two seasons, winning the league title twice in a row, but showed a notable failure on the European stage in major fixtures and high-pressure matches.
Defensive fragility and tactical changes
The Catalan giant played attacking football this season and won its first 11 matches in all competitions. However, when the level of competition increased, the picture changed completely, and suffering doubled after the home loss to Real Madrid, which once again exposed the fragility of its defensive line. A draw would have been an acceptable result, maintaining their six-point lead over Real Madrid in the Spanish league, but they left vast spaces that the opposing team exploited in the final minutes.
A draw would have been an acceptable result, maintaining their six-point lead over Real Madrid in La Liga, but they left vast spaces exploited by Los Blancos in the final minutes. Three minutes before the end, French substitute midfielder Eduardo Camavinga launched himself toward the goal before passing the ball to his compatriot Kylian Mbapp茅, who scored his 100th goal in a Real Madrid shirt and his second in the match, handing his team the victory.
Absence of defensive heart and technical criticism
Despite spending large sums this summer to sign English player Anthony Gordon and Rodri Hernandez, among others, and attempting to sign Argentine Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, Barcelona did not sign a new center-back. Instead, Flick continued to rely on Gerard Martin, who switched from left-back to center-back alongside Pau Cubarsi. According to technical experts, Martin performed relatively well given his technical limitations and position change, but he appeared helpless against Mbapp茅. His poor clearance of the ball led to Real Madrid's first goal when it struck the rushing French forward and found the net of goalkeeper Joan Garcia.
Martin later succeeded in stopping English midfielder Jude Bellingham and Mbapp茅 in a two-on-one attacking situation early in the second half, revealing a broader structural problem suffered by Barcelona: a defensive line that advances too high, becoming easy to penetrate when collective pressing is not executed skillfully and with the required energy. Flick believed Barcelona lacked physical freshness against Real Madrid due to a congested schedule, despite his team having an extra day of rest compared to their opponent after midweek matches. The German manager also waited until the final minutes to bring on his compatriot Karim Adeyemi and Brazilian Gabriel Jesus.
Current situation and future
Barcelona is also suffering from problems due to injuries in the backline, as Eric Garcia, French player Jules Kounde, and Danish player Andreas Christensen missed the Cl谩sico, along with midfielder Dani Olmo. Barcelona still holds a three-point lead over Real Madrid, who are in third place in the title race (27 vs 24). The team has the ability to achieve a new winning streak, as the coming weeks present other important tests for the Catalans. They will host English club Aston Villa in the Champions League in November, before traveling to Atletico Madrid on the 8th of the same month, and then hosting English club Manchester City at Camp Nou 30 days later.
Flick told journalists after the end of the match: "In the end, in very big matches, small details are important; they decide matches and determine their direction. Today, they were not in our favor. We know what we need to develop, we talk about it in every training session, we will do it, and I am not worried about this matter. Loss is also part of football, but we suffered two defeats this week, which is very much."
Source: Arriyadiyah newspaper
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