Disastrous performance, this is not what Flick did! Barcelona burn out against Osasuna

The LaLiga leader’s performance fell short of the expectations of all Spanish football fans. Hansi Flick had planned to experiment with the line-up and give opportunities to young players while letting the main ones rest. It didn’t pay off at all, as the Catalans were already down 0:2 in the first half. In the second half, Pau Víctor gave hope, but even that didn’t help to stave off a crushing 2:4 defeat.

• Barcelona lost for the first time in the league this season
• Hansi Flick rested his best players from the starting line-up
• Lamine Yamal had a truly exhibition shot

The first half showed us that what everyone kind of thought may have been true after all. Hansi Flick’s line-up was perhaps a little too thin and there were a lot of players without proper match experience. His team already put in a tragic performance in the first half.

Budimir’s header after a nice centre from Bryan Zaragoza took care of the first goal, and that marked a huge euphoria at Estadio El Sadar. The Catalans then tried to get back into the game, but failed to combine in the attacking half. One turnover after another gave Osasuna opportunities.

Pau Víctor also caused one loss, after which the referee allowed the home side to counter-attack. This was incredibly finished by Bryan Zaragoza, who toyed with goalkeeper Iňaki Peña and sent the ball into the exposed net.

Barcelona only finished on target twice in the first half. Despite dominating the ball, the Catalan team was no better and deservedly went in at half-time 0:2 down.

An improved performance in the second half still did not lead to victory

Hope did come in the 53rd minute when Pau Víctor scored after a big mistake by the home goalkeeper Herrera. The ball was played to him by Gerrard Martín and Víctor did not hesitate. His shot attempt ended up in the net.

Virtually immediately, Coach Flick sent Raphinha and Lamin Yamal onto the field to liven up the game. That actually happened, but not on the scale the German coach would have liked. Things looked promising for the Catalans, only for Ferran Torres to make a crucial mistake later in the second half.

Osasuna then went on a dangerous counter-attack which ended with a penalty against Budimir. He took the penalty kick and sent his team back into a two-goal lead – 3:1. But in the 85th minute it was even worse for the visitors.

The substituted Yamal went to help out the defence, with a failed flick of the ball over Bretones being punished harshly. His shot from outside the box was no match for Spanish goalkeeper Peña and it looked like a brutal 4-1 debacle.

At the end of the match, the young Yamal only corrected the score. His shot from the edge of the box hit the right post and ended the match. The final score – 4: 2 for Osasuna.

For Hansi Flick, this is the first defeat in the league, but it must be said that it was a bit expected. The German wanted to save the team before the Champions League and so he rotated the line-up. The substitutions weren’t enough for a turnaround, and the withdrawal of the Polish marksman was also a surprise, despite the disastrous performance of Ferran Torres, who was moved to his position from the edge of the area.

Source: Nova Sport, FC Barcelona, X