Hindsight is 20/20 if you’re Barcelona.
Can anyone say they saw that coming in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid?
There was an ominous feeling going into the match. With Raphinha, Pedri, and Marcus Rashford all out, there was a growing selection headache for Hansi Flick.
New-look Atletico Madrid announced in the quarter-finals that they had come to compete for the trophy after trouncing Real Betis 5-0, in what was new signing Ademola Lookman’s first game.
Finally, the Metropolitano
pitch was in the headlines for being professionally unplayable, after none other than captain Koke criticized the condition of his home field.
There is a lot to digest after this one. The Copa del Rey is the least important of the competitions that Barcelona are playing in, but there are lessons to be learned.
So who, or what, is to blame for what will likely go down as the worst game of Flick’s Barcelona career?
Are injuries to blame?
We’ve been here before.
Barcelona’s season started out slow because of a string of unlucky injuries. In particular, losing Raphinha and Gavi were devastating losses that the Blaugrana struggled to overcome.
Here we go again.
Not only did Flick have to go into this game without Raphinha and Gavi, he was also without Pedri, and last minute news that Marcus Rashford would also miss out.
Up until this game, Barcelona were on a run of successful games in spite of the growing injury list. Losing Rashford, however, caused an even bigger problem because there was no one left to play on the left wing.
Was Hansi Flick’s player selection to blame?
So now Flick had a big decision to make.
Far from his preferred starting eleven were available. The biggest decisions were who would fill in for Rashford on the left flank, and who would play in the double pivot.
Dani Olmo, the utility man that he is, could be a stand in at both positions. In the end, he got the start on the forward line.
Many people expected Flick to choose Marc Bernal. Instead Marc Casado’s name was called, and the midfielder only lasted until the 37th minute.
I personally would have loved to see Eric García in the midfield alongside Frenkie de Jong, with Ronald Araujo starting on the backline.
Did Flick make the wrong player selection in the end, and if so, how much did it cost the team?
Are Hansi Flick’s tactics to blame?
Most of the talk will be on the Flick’s dangerously, or as some will call it after today, foolishly high defensive line.
Is that too harsh?
Don’t expect Flick to change. He didn’t in the fall after receiving a barrage of criticism, and he won’t going forward. Instead, he’ll say to his players and the media, to be calm.
You live and you die by the sword.
But it can’t be denied that tactically Diego Simeone ran riot over his counterpart in the first half. In large part, it was made possible because of a new face in his lineup.
Were Atletico Madrid just that good?
Welcome to Spain Ademola Lookman.
Simeone’s 4-4-2 hasn’t looked this good in a long time, with Lookman and Giuliano Simeone running past defenders with ease.
On paper, the Atleti and Barcelona starting eleven’s were about even in terms of quality given the injuries to the Blaugrana.
In practice, Atleti seems to be hitting another gear entirely lead by the injection of skill and physicality that Lookman brings. He may just be a perfect fit in Simeone’s system.
Perhaps it’s best for Barcelona to simply applaud their opponent for being the better team on the night?
How much can Barcelona blame the bad pitch?
This is the one I can’t get over.
Perhaps it was an indirect cause of Barcelona’s failures in this game, but it was impactful nonetheless.
Go back and count how many times players slipped and fell on their butts.
La Liga should be ashamed and embarrassed for allowing their flagship tournament to be broadcast internationally with these standards.
This was not the playing field of a third division team without resources. It was played at one of the most modern stadiums in the world.
For Barcelona, who are a technical team who play such a high risk brand of football, it made it even more difficult to possess the ball, and press high to defend their high line.
This was not a proper football match becoming of two of the best teams in the world.
How much blame should be placed on the officiating?
If I’m Hansi Flick, I go straight to my players and say, we don’t talk about the referees.
That being said, what a difficult task it will be after witnessing the officials make a total mockery of the game.
Were they responsible for why Barcelona lost? Not at all. Barcelona have to take responsibility, and that’s why Flick must insist that they focus on what’s in their control.
The officials, however, are responsible for why Barcelona will likely have little chance at a comeback.
The Blaugrana came out in the second half and quickly built momentum. They had Atletico Madrid on their heals.
It didn’t take long for Pau Cubarsí to score Barcelona’s opening goal.
Now, no matter what, if VAR is to overturn anything on the field, it better be done quickly. If you can’t, you play on. It’s as simple as that.
VAR was not invented to be the star of the show. It should never interfere with the natural flow of a game.
The final decision to overturn the goal isn’t the travesty, it’s the time it took to reach the decision.
This was a disgrace. No one will tune in to watch Spanish football in the future if changes aren’t made to how the game is officiated, especially as it relates to VAR.
That being said, there’s lots of blame to go around in this game.
Where do you fall on it? What happened to Barcelona in this match, and what do they have to do going forward to make sure it doesn’t happen again?
