Barcelona could well have been the side that went out of the Champions League on Tuesday night at the Signal Iduna Park, if you were only shown the scenes at the final whistle. Raphinha lay exhausted on the floor, stretching his legs. Lamine Yamal cut a miserable figure on the bench, and Robert Lewandowski and Wojciech Szczesny conversed with serious faces as they walked off the pitch.
While they did make it through to the final four for the first time in six years, manager Hansi Flick admitted he had to remind his side of their success and lift morale. In the mix zone, Jules Kounde, Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong all made it clear they were not happy with the performance.
As reported by MD, there were several lessons learned from their trip to Germany. A frequent theme through their defeats this season, individual errors cost Barcelona, with the likes of Kounde, Ronald Araujo and de Jong found wanting in the goals. All three were accused of lapses in concentration.
Two absences also loomed large in Dortmund. Inigo Martinez was replaced by Araujo, with Flick explaining that he was left out to avoid a suspension for the semi-final, with a yellow card resulting in a ban. Without him, Barcelona’s backline struggled to operate the offside trap as effectively, and lacked leadership.
Barcelona are looking for a full-back that can play on both sides. In other words, the club want to find a new João Cancelo. @joaquimpiera
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 16, 2025
Unlike Martinez, Pedri was sent on for the final half hour to calm Barcelona in midfield. Despite two aggressive and combative players alongside de Jong in midfield, the Dutchman looked overrun behind Gavi and Fermin Lopez. Pedri’s poise on the ball and positioning off it were immediately noticed after his introduction.
Perhaps the two most worrying concerns that were taken away from their trip were the fatigue and the finishing. The former, a growing worry for Flick, was evident, as Barcelona struggled to press and match Dortmund’s tempo. The latter was also an issue – what chances Barcelona did have, they proved ineffective in the final third. The last two games Barcelona have scored just twice, well below their averages, and both from own goals.
