Against Brugge, FC Barcelona conceded at least three goals for the eleventh time in the Hansi Flick era. Defensive problems are weighing down the ‘Cules’, who this season have the worst average number of goals conceded per game in the club’s entire century.
Conceding goals is inherent in Hansi Flick’s approach. FC Barcelona’s lauded campaign last season based its success on outscoring the opposition, regardless of the score. But when something becomes unbalanced, the wire breaks. And sometimes, one side cannot compensate for what is happening on the other. In Belgium, the ‘Azulgranas’ managed to salvage at least a point – and could be thankful for Szczesny’s penalty save – but were once again vulnerable, very vulnerable.
Nicolo Tresoldi and Carlos Forbs, with a brace, punished the ‘Cules’ defence. This season, FC Barcelona have only kept a clean sheet in three of their 15 matches and have already conceded 20 goals. As it stands, Flick’s team concede the most goals per game in the club’s 21st century, with an average of 1.33.
Last season we already saw a FC Barcelona side that was among the highest conceding teams (1.20), but compensated for it with the third most potent attack of these two and a half decades, on a par with Pep Guardiola’s side or the Messi-Suarez-Neymar treble-winning team. Now they are still lethal when they put their minds to it, Lamine Yamal was excellent in holding the ‘Azulgranas’ together in Bruges, but they don’t get absolutely everything right. And above all, they concede more than ever at the back.
The ‘Cules’ are already conceding more than Xavi’s last FC Barcelona side (1.3), which held the negative record. And although it is not strictly a full year in the 21st century (the count begins in 2001), they also concede more than in the disastrous 2000-01 season, which also averaged 1.3 goals against per game. That team, coached first by Serra Ferrer and then by Carles Rexach, finished fourth in La Liga and were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League. They salvaged the season thanks to Rivaldo’s spectacular year and his overhead kick against Valencia.
There is a huge distance between one team and the other, including the attacking aspect. Hansi Flick lives for and by his idea and will die with it if necessary. With the score at the Jan Breydel Stadium, the ‘Cules’ have already conceded at least three goals in 11 matches under the command of the German. These represent 14.6% of the total of 75 he has already managed. In the entire era of Xavi Hernandez there were 20 in 143 (13.9%).
However, Flick has achieved three wins and three draws in those 11 matches. The 4-5 against Benfica, the 4-3 against Celta or the 4-3 against Real Madrid last season, in addition to the 4-4 in the Copa semi-finals against Atletico or the 3-3 in the first leg against Inter. Xavi only won twice and drew twice as many times. But this season, FC Barcelona could not beat Sevilla, from whom they took a 4-1 defeat, nor this Brugge with whom they finished 3-3.
What we mean is that being thrashed may be part of the DNA of Flick’s FC Barcelona, but it is only effective when its stars align. And it was not only the departure of Inigo Martinez, the mainstay of the offside line last season, that they suffered. There are the injuries to Raphinha, their most decisive player in 24-25, Pedri’s poor form, the problems of Robert Lewandowski, the step backwards of Dani Olmo… And in short, a team that now takes risks without a safety net. But it doesn’t seem to be in their script to be more conservative, but to insist until they recover the dominant team with which they won three titles.
