Barcelona could well have been the side that went out of the Champions League on Tuesday night at the Signal Iduna Park, if you were only shown the scenes at the final whistle. Raphinha stretched his legs on the floor, exhausted. Lamine Yamal cut a miserable figure on the bench, and Robert Lewandowski and Wojciech Szczesny conversed with serious faces as they walked off the pitch.
Even though they made it to the last four for the first time in six years, manager Hansi Flick acknowledged that he had to reaffirm his team's success and boost morale. Jules Kounde, Robert Lewandowski, and Frenkie de Jong all made it clear in the mix zone that they were dissatisfied with the performance. MD reported that their trip to Germany taught them several things.
Individual errors accounted for Barcelona's defeats this season, with players like Kounde, Ronald Araujo, and de Jong failing to score goals. Concentration lapses were alleged against all three of them. Two absences also loomed large in Dortmund. Inigo Martinez was replaced by Araujo, with Flick explaining that he was left out to avoid a suspension for the semi-final, with a yellow card resulting in a ban. Without him, Barcelona’s backline struggled to operate the offside trap as effectively, and lacked leadership.
Pedri was brought on for the final half of the game to calm Barcelona's midfield, in contrast to Martinez. Despite two aggressive and combative players alongside de Jong in midfield, the Dutchman looked overrun behind Gavi and Fermin Lopez.
Pedri’s poise on the ball and positioning off it were immediately noticed after his introduction.
Perhaps the two most worrying concerns that were taken away from their trip were the fatigue and the finishing. Flick was becoming increasingly concerned about the first, as Barcelona struggled to press and match Dortmund's pace.
The latter was also an issue – what chances Barcelona did have, they proved ineffective in the final third. The last two games Barcelona have scored just twice, well below their averages, and both from own goals.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0