Barca is beautiful but too fragile

Just in the second round, Barca brought back the feeling of… heartache to fans, when they made a spectacular comeback to beat Levante 3-2 after being down 0-2 in the first half.

Yamal (left) will face many difficulties this season - Photo: Reuters

It is a familiar feeling, after coach Hansi Flick and his team went through a historic journey last season.

The comebacks

The 2024-2025 season was a successful season for Barca, as they won every possible domestic title including La Liga, the King's Cup and the Spanish Super Cup, and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

But that's not the most memorable factor. To compare with the legendary generation of Messi, of Guardiola, those titles are not enough. Barca of the 2024 - 2025 season won a place in the hearts of fans thanks to the crazy emotions they created in the match, to be exact, the comebacks.

A total of 11 comebacks were produced by Barca last season, not counting draws - a real record.

Comebacks came in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Super Cup and even the Champions League. Fans still haven't forgotten the moment Raphinha scored the winning goal for Barca in a 5-4 victory over Benfica, after being down 2-4. Or Barca's 4-goal explosion in 26 minutes in the "El Clasico" at the end of the season, helping them win 4-3 after being down 0-2...

The feeling of coming from behind is exciting. But if given the choice, from coach Hansi Flick to Barca fans, they would probably prefer overwhelming, easy and leisurely victories rather than being put into such a dramatic chase. Coming from behind is always a last resort and brings great consequences in terms of physical strength, injuries... and another factor, which is "seriousness".

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick - Photo: REUTERS

The force is thinning.

When Barca were leveled 3-3 by Inter Milan in the 90+3 minute of the second leg of the semi-final, it was the moment when they paid the price for their lack of seriousness. In a state of excitement due to the dramatic comeback, Barca players suddenly flooded the opponent's field despite leading in the final minutes. And then they conceded a goal when an opponent's central defender rushed forward to attack. That is the downside of excitement, of fiery spirit.

Coach Hansi Flick knows he can't repeat such a season. The German strategist has made good use of his young players. But after a year, all the surprises are gradually disappearing. Don't be surprised if Lamine Yamal will be marked more closely this season. And Gavi, Cubarsi, Casado... will start to face the risk of injury.

Barca's big problem is that they don't have enough money to improve the quality of their squad every season. In this summer transfer window, all Barca could do was buy a goalkeeper to replace Ter Stegen in the future, and borrow Marcus Rashford - a star with many talents and many flaws. These are not real additions to their championship ambitions, but just a form of patchwork.

It is hard to blame President Joan Laporta and the Barca board. They have had to work hard to help Barca overcome the financial crisis that has lasted for the past four years. This summer, Barca's wage bill swelled by 20 million euros/year after the expensive contract of Yamal. Therefore, they are forced to tighten their belts.

Not only that, Barca was forced to say goodbye to Inigo Martinez, Pablo Torre and Pau Victor. The latter two names may not be very important, but Inigo Martinez was the leader of Barca's defense last season. The Spanish center-back's departure makes Barca even more fragile in defense.

And so will comebacks return to Barca? It's just a matter of necessity.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/barca-dep-nhung-qua-mong-manh-20250826094939136.htm