Barcelona’s players have shared their tactical worries with head coach Hansi Flick following the team’s heavy loss to Atletico Madrid.
The Catalan side suffered a humiliating defeat in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. The match took place at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, where Atletico put on a dominant display by beating Barcelona 4-0.
According to the Atletic, the players do not believe that relying on such a high defensive line was the right approach for thursday’s game. They felt the team was left too exposed at the back against a strong Atletico side.
However, the squad is not asking to abandon their playing style entirely. Instead, they have called for a different approach in big matches. The players believe that with some small changes, they can still compete at a high level without taking too many risks.
Some members of the team also pointed out that it is difficult to play this way without key figures like Raphinha and Pedri. Both players were missing from the starting lineup, and their absence was felt during the game.
Will Flick consider the players’ concern’s as the team looks ahead to the second leg?.
Barcelona will need to find a way to balance their style with more defensive solidity if they want to turn the tie around.
Although the German coach’s project has brought more wins than setbacks, this loss goes straight into the list of the most painful of his tenure. Before this blow, the most embarrassing defeats had been the 4-1 loss to Sevilla FC and the 3-0 defeat against Chelsea FC. None, however, showed such an early collapse.
The difference is crucial: in those matches the team was still competing at halftime. Here, they were already knocked out. The feeling was total collapse, something worrying because it arrives just before decisive fixtures in league and cup competitions.
The calendar offers no emotional rest. Barça must react quickly if they want to prevent this defeat from becoming a trend. Their next matches will be against Girona FC, Levante UD, and Villarreal CF in the league before attempting an epic comeback in the cup return leg.
History shows the club has bounced back from hard blows before, but it also proves that early heavy defeats often leave deep scars. The big question now is mental: was it just a bad night… or the symptom of a bigger problem?
The loss leaves Barcelona with it all to do when they host the 10-time winners in the return leg on 3 March.