The Blaugrana moved nine points clear the week after winning El Clasico, but their lead is now down to one having played a game more than Los Blancos
On October 26, Lamine Yamal admitted that he and his Barcelona team-mates believed themselves to be "the best team in the world". One could easily understand why. At the time of his revelation, Yamal was standing inside Santiago Bernabeu, where Barca had just routed Real Madrid 4-0 – only three days after battering Bayern Munich 4-1 at Montjuic.
There was a swagger about Hansi Flick's side; no side in Europe was playing with such self-confidence. "We've proven that we can beat anyone," Yamal proudly declared.
That still remains the case but, right now, Barca also look capable of losing to anyone. After going nine points clear of Madrid by beating city rivals Espanyol the week after the Clasico, the Blaugrana's lead is down to one after a rotten run of results against mid-table teams.
So, has Barca's bubble burst? Is Hansi's honeymoon in Catalunya over? Or is this just a blip for the Blaugrana?
Getty Images SportRisk versus reward
Flick's Barcelona play a dangerous game. An incredibly high line allows them to put opponents under serious pressure, but it also leaves them vulnerable to the well-timed counter-attacks on account of the acres of space they leave in behind their backline. As far as Flick is concerned, though, the risk is very much worth the reward. The Clasico was a case in point.
Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged beforehand that Barca's high line was a problem that he needed to solve. He said he had a plan in mind but, whatever it was, it clearly didn't work, as Madrid simply couldn't cope with the Catalans and Flick's forwards ran riot as a result, with the revitalised Robert Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha all on target.
Flick had successfully squeezed the life out of the reigning European and Spanish champions, and it was even reported afterwards that he had told his players during the interval, "Anyone who drops back a metre, I'll substitute them!"
However, while his tactics definitely worked a treat, the final scoreline unquestionably flattered the visitors. Their performance was impressive and their victory fully deserved but, lest anyone forget, Madrid created plenty of chances (their xG was 1.48 to Barca's 2.58) and it would have been a very different game had Kylian Mbappe been capable of timing a run.
And what we're starting to see in recent weeks is what happens when Barca's pressing and high line malfunction.
AdvertisementAFP'Everyone can play better'
Barca were only beaten 1-0 by Real Sociedad on November 10 and they were undeniably robbed of a legitimate goal by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) – but even the controversy surrounding an erroneous offside call on Lewandowski couldn't disguise the abject nature of the Blaugrana's performance at the Anoeta.
It was a similar story in their following Liga outing, against Celta Vigo. Barca were held to a 2-2 draw after conceding twice in the final six minutes following the dismissal of Marc Casado, but Flick was the first to admit that they'd been awful all evening.
"It wasn't just the last 10 minutes," the German told reporters. "It was the whole match. We played a really bad game. We have to be honest. We made a lot of mistakes, also in the first half, and we weren't confident with the ball. We didn't play the football we're used to. We were lucky with some situations and in the end we got a point and we have to react because it can't be repeated.
"These are things that can happen but we have to look forward. The least bad thing is that it's only one match and we got a point, but we're not happy and neither are the players. Everyone can play better than today."
The problem is that very few have in the past couple of games and Barca have seen a massive lead in La Liga almost completely wiped out.
(C)Getty Images'Many things we're doing wrong'
In fairness to Barca, they really should have beaten Las Palmas on Saturday. As Flick pointed out, they created more than enough chances to do so: "We had 70 percent possession and 27 shots." On another day, they could have won handily – instead of losing 2-1 at home to a team that hadn't beaten Barca away from home for 53 years.
However, the Las Palmas loss isn't being dismissed as nothing more than a freak result, given it's hardly happened in a vacuum. Barca have now dropped eight points in their last three games and tough questions are now being asked of a team that is experiencing its first poor run of form under Flick.
"We’re lowering the level of what we were doing," captain Raphinha confessed to after seeing his equaliser on Saturday fail to prove the catalyst for a much-needed come-from-behind win. "There are many things we are doing wrong.
"I’m angry. I don’t care much about my goal, I only cared about the victory and we didn't win, so I'm not satisfied."
AFP'Have to reconnect'
Flick is in no doubt that Barca can turn things around, though, starting with Tuesday's tricky trip to Mallorca. "I believe in the players," he said. "I have faith in them."
The former Bayern Munich boss also denied that the squad is suddenly suffering from some sort of collective crisis of confidence. However, Flick did not dispute allegations that his team is no longer exhibiting anything like the same intensity and cohesion as before. At a time when Barca should be improving as a number of key men return from injury, they're actually looking increasingly disjointed.
"When I started here I already told them that there would be no excuses," the German said. "It is normal that some players when they return from injury are not at their highest level, but if we play as a team we should be able to beat anyone. But if some players are disconnected, it will not go well.
"The defence is not just about the four players at the back. Players alone cannot win games. It’s always about the team. We need to have good connections in defence and attack. We have to change, we have to defend better. We have to go back and reconnect." And sooner rather than the later.