FC Barcelona, a team that has come down from the moon to Earth

Something went wrong with the disallowed goal by Lewandowski in San Sebastian for offside. Barcelona could have taken a 0-1 lead against Real Sociedad on November 10 with the first (and only) well-directed shot they made. Perhaps it would have been enough for their twelfth win in 13 matchdays. But no, they ended up losing 1-0 against the Basque team. And now they can't seem to get back on track.

It seems like the blaugrana have been trapped in those semi-automatic VAR replays and can't move on. It's as if they are still dwelling on that review, as they haven't been able to find the back of the net easily since then.

When there were many doubts about whether they could compete for the League title, Flick's team surprised everyone with an amazing start to the season. But then they have not been able to be a reliable favorite and have melted down when no one expected it. They started to unravel as visitors (defeat at Anoeta and draws at Balaídos and the Villamarín) but the drift has shifted to home: three consecutive defeats at Montjuïc.

Few results bring Barça fans closer to heaven than beating Bayern in the Champions League, storming the Bernabéu with a 0-4 victory, and swiftly handling the derby against Espanyol in just over half an hour. That week, Barça was on cloud nine.

Now nothing comes out. The last thing you want for a project that is just starting, made up of a young squad with a rather short lineup due to injuries is to lose even when you play very well, as was the case on Saturday against Atlético.

So far, Barcelona had lost games in which the team had not been switched on. At El Sadar due to rotations. At Anoeta, overcome by intensity. Against Las Palmas, victims of their own mistakes. And against Leganés, in an exercise of impotence for 86 minutes. But unlike the previous four occasions, this time the Blaugrana took the lead, enjoyed seven great opportunities, made 19 shots, and earned 11 corners. The collective performance, led by an immense Pedri, was outstanding. That's why the blow of losing in the last minute of added time was a morale hit.

“We played a brilliant match, it has been amazing. This is the style I want to see in my team,” highlighted Hansi Flick, who wanted to face the press despite being suspended. He understood that it is a critical moment.

9 points have already flown from Montjuïc and Barcelona will close the first half of the season with 38 points. That's three less than last season with Xavi and 12 less than in the 2022-23 season when the League was won, also with Xavi. The descent from the clouds to earthly matters is evident in the championship after earning just 5 points out of the last 21 possible. Previously, Barça collected 30 out of 33.

Without Lamine Yamal, it's more challenging, but a magnificent Pedri emerged, who at the age of 22 led the game surrounded by three academy players aged 21 (Casadó and Fermín) and 20 (Gavi). The issue is that the attacking line has run out of firepower and is not making a difference.

In the first 12 matchdays, Barça scored 40 goals, representing an average of 3.3 goals per game. In the following seven, they only managed to score 11 goals, although five of them came against Mallorca at Son Moix (1-5).

The feeling is that the attackers were performing above their capabilities and now have returned to reality. Lewandowski, who rested in Palma, has scored 2 goals in 6 games, while Raphinha has scored 4, but none in the last three matchdays. “Today's defeat is my responsibility,” said the Brazilian yesterday, acting as captain in the absence of Ter Stegen, Araújo, and De Jong. “I missed a goal – the lob that hit the crossbar – and they equalized. Then, I lost the pass that led to their second goal,” he self-criticized.

In that blackout, Dani Olmo is also included, who was absent against Las Palmas and has been dry since the derby on November 3rd. Without effectiveness in the opponent's area, Barça has come down from the sky.