Barcelona's Champions League dream under threat: La Liga summit does not hide the disaster
Attack saves, defence destroys
Barcelona won top spot, and won three precious points from the heart of the Wanda Metropolitano, but they did not win the answer to the most important question: is this team really capable of winning the Champions League?
The 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid put them top of La Liga before the international break. It also opened a file that has become a source of worry for every Catalan supporter: the defence.
Fermin Lopez made the attack decisive on the night, yet the defence was once again the weak point that almost threw everything away. The question posed by Pablo Pinto on the programme "Carrusel Canalla" became the talk of all Spain: "Do you think Barcelona are capable of winning the Champions League with this defensive line?".
A match that settled top spot and exposed the problem
La Liga bade farewell to its fans before the international break with a truly thrilling match. Atletico Madrid hosted Barcelona in a decisive clash to determine the leader, with the winner guaranteed top spot at least until the internationals returned.
For Atletico, it was a chance to prove their return to contention and an opportunity for revenge after the Julian Alvarez affair, which had soured relations between the two clubs. Barcelona, meanwhile, needed to dispel the doubts after their defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
Diego Simeone's men began in the best possible way, Giuliano scoring after 10 minutes. The first half went well for the hosts, but Fermin Lopez equalised just before the break. Things turned upside down after the interval, as Barcelona's performance improved and the Andalusian forward found the net again to secure the three points.
It was a victory in extremely difficult circumstances against a great team, but it raised doubts about the performance, especially defensively. The team conceded plenty of goals again, and despite the absence of several injured players in that position, there is wide debate about the team's future if it does not address the defensive problem.
Does Barcelona need a defender in the winter?
A few names of defenders were mentioned, but few voices defended the current crop, believing their performance had not been poor.
Spanish coach Marcos Lopez said: "Gerard Martin's performance was superb, honestly, he played brilliantly in both the central defence and the full-back role".
Still, the feeling remains that something is missing from the team. Spanish journalist Luis Flaquer confirmed as much, saying he believes: "If I found a player who adds value, I would sign a centre-back in the winter", although the room for manoeuvre is limited because of the same problem Barcelona have suffered in recent years: the financial situation.
Jordi Marti explained that "the space remaining in the salary cap currently ranges between three and four million", so "to sign a central defender on a suitable salary, we would have to sell another player".
That possibility may therefore depend on selling, for example, Alejandro Balde, whom Hansi Flick has already shown he does not rely on at all. Flick even preferred to field Brian Farinas as a full-back, despite him being a midfielder, rather than bringing Balde into the team.
The trap that threatens Flick
Retired player Kiko Narvaez already pointed out on "Carrusel Deportivo" that he believes Barcelona looked "like an ordinary team", especially when comparing Bayern Munich's performance midweek at the Wanda Metropolitano with the performance of Flick's team last Sunday, where they looked like "two teams of two different levels" in the context of the Champions League.
Marti believes the key lies in "Barcelona's ability to correct their course, adjust their tactics, and manage their minutes of play better when the title is within their grasp, as they did today, and avoid repeating the mistakes they made in previous Champions League knockout matches".
He insisted Barcelona must know how to "manage their minutes of play with the ball to defend" and "adjust the risks of relying on a high defensive line when necessary", because mastering that at the right moment, "this small nuance may already reduce the chances of winning the Champions League".
Renowned journalist Santi Ovalle added that, with all his players at full fitness, Barcelona are a strong contender, given the injury of several key men currently or their recent return from injury, despite the emergence of some opposing voices.
A young defence: is it enough?
Miguel Martin Talavera commented, saying: "People seem to forget that Cubarsi is a World Cup winner and a key player in the best national team in the world".
Talavera added, in defence of the youngsters: "You cannot rely on Gerard Martin, Cubarsi and the young players only when you play a bad match or lose, this seems to me like cheating, especially since Cubarsi, for example, was an undisputed key player last season with the Barcelona team that won the league and with the Spanish national team, where he played all the matches".
Barcelona's officials, then, seem very confident that when all the players are available, the situation will change and they may be able to win the prestigious Champions League.
