Wasteful Barcelona must take accountability to get out of their current funk
The word of the day in Barcelona is frustration.
This Girona game should have been put away in the first half, but that of course assumes Barcelona is able to put away their chances.
Lamine Yamal alone missed three point blank opportunities in the opening 45 minutes, one of which was a penalty.
When Barcelona finally took the lead behind a redemptive goal from Pau CubarsÃ, Girona pulled one back within minutes.
And again, because of course there was, we had referee controversy.
Jules Kounde lay on the floor at the top of the penalty area after being stomped on, and watched as Fran Beltrán slotted home the game winning goal. No whistle from the referee, and no VAR intervention.
This team can’t buy a break at the moment.
Hansi Flick will leave the game feeling a sense of consternation. His tactics continue to produce so much offense, 26 shots on the night against their Catalan rivals, and yet Barcelona are not in control of games. In fact, Girona had the better chances on the night and should have scored more. In the end, they had nine shots on target, compared to just four for Barcelona.
Luckily, the Blaugrana will get a midweek break since they don’t have to play in the Champions League knockout playoff round.
They need physical rest, but they also need a mental break, and an official reset before the home stretch of the season begins.
Recall that this time last year, even though Barcelona went on to win the league and the Copa del Rey, their energy started to drop off as fatigue from the long campaign set in.
It won’t get any easier from here, but one thing that helps as an infusion of energy is scoring goals. Success begets success, as the mental can jumpstart the physical.
Barcelona can’t lose belief in themselves, but that’s the danger of where they’re at.
The tactics aren’t changing, and maybe that’s ok, so long as they find their finishing boots again.
Raphinha is back, and soon Pedri and Marcus Rashford will return to the lineup too. Even Gavi, who may have a role to play as someone who can bring much-needed intensity off the bench in critical moments.
Now is not the time panic.
The best path forward is to see the glass as half full.
You can draw a line from Girona to Real Sociedad, the last two league losses that have allowed Real Madrid to climb back into first place.
Barcelona must know that success is in their hands. They didn’t lose these two games to their opponents as much as they beat themselves. If they see it that way, it should give them hope going forward that they have the power to turn around their own fortunes.
As their best players return to action, so should Barcelona return to the best version of themselves, one that can outscore any rival on any given day.
If you’re hoping for pragmatism, keep dreaming.
Hansi Flick, so long as he’s the manager, knows only one way of playing, and for the most part, his attacking philosophy has brought Barcelona a lot of success.
There’s no time to make excuses, and nothing constructive will come from questioning the gameplan. There is lots of football to be played.
These players know the winning formula. They have it in them to do better.
There’s nothing to it but to stay positive and keep the foot on the gas.
Source: barcablaugranes.com
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