Barcelona failed their first big test of the season, as Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain walked into the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and dispatched the Catalans 2–1.
Ferran Torres opened the scoring for Barcelona with a first-half strike. Then, a darting run from Nuno Mendes set up Senny Mayulu’s equalizer for the visitors before halftime.
Luis Enrique’s side would then go on to impose their will after the break. PSG were far the better side and Gonçalo Ramos came off the bench to score a deserved game-winner in the 90th minute.
Hansi Flick looked visibly enraged after PSG’s match winner. Losing against a PSG side that was without Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, João Neves and Marquinhos is an early warning sign for Barcelona’s European hopes.
Barcelona Still Have Major Defensive Issues
If Barcelona want to be serious challengers in Europe this season, then significant defensive improvement is needed.
Flick’s side are brilliant pressing high-up the pitch and recovering the ball in the opposition’s half. However, when opponents play past the press, as PSG did on a number of occasions, forcing Barcelona to defend whilst running towards their own goal, the team’s Achilles heel becomes clear as day.
All it takes to create danger against Barcelona is to run at their defense, like Nuno Mendes did for PSG’s first goal of the night. Barça’s center backs are at their best defending whilst stepping forward, but the entire defense looks uncomfortable and out of shape when tracking back.
PSG’s match-winner exposed Barcelona’s high line. Once again, when tracking back, there seems to be an overall lack of communication that constantly sees opposing players completely unmarked. Gonçalo Ramos’s goal looked very similar to many Flick’s side conceded a season ago.
GONÇALO RAMOS WINS IT LATE FOR PSG WHO COME FROM BEHIND IN BARCELONA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/K0SUwL3ul3
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 1, 2025
Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Ronald Araújo and Andreas Christensen have all seen their fair share of playing time this season. The constant shuffling of pieces is evidence that Flick is still uncomfortable with his back line.
Right now, Barcelona are a team that allow few goalscoring opportunities, but the ones they do allow are clear chances. Against the big teams in Europe and Spain, that could spell Barça’s downfall this term.
Flick must figure out a way to fix this glaring issue, one that already existed a season ago but only worsened after the departure of Iñigo Martínez.
Key Barcelona Players Look Tired
A number of Barcelona players looked increasingly tired as the game went on, resulting in PSG overwhelmingly dominating the final 45 minutes.
Pedri, in particular, looked unable to keep up with the rhythm the game was being played at. The midfielder has started every single game so far this season, but has been substituted in each of the past four, showing clear signs of fatigue as he walks off the pitch.
Lamine Yamal started for the first time in over a month. After a promising first half where he was Barça’s most dangerous player, he was completely shut down in the second half. Yamal struggled to generate much of anything after the break and was routinely on the back foot when tracking back to defend, allowing PSG to bypass Barça’s press.
Frenkie de Jong, Jules Koundé and García also appear to be struggling physically late in games, with the latter even leaving the match against PSG after suffering what appeared like cramping.
There’s still a marathon to go this term, yet Barça players already seem to be struggling with fitness. Tonight, PSG took advantage and ran Barcelona off the pitch. It can’t be overstated how soundly an undermanned PSG dominated Barcelona in the second half.
Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres the Bright Spots
On a night where there are few positives for Barcelona, Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford continue to prove they’re valuable alternatives in attack.
Torres tirelessly pressed PSG’s back line all game and recovered the ball on a number of occasions. His hold-up play was as good as it’s been since he started playing as a center forward and his performance was crowned by scoring his fifth goal of the season, the most of any Barcelona player.
Marcus Rashford looks more and more comfortable in Flick’s system with every passing game. The Manchester United loanee bagged his third assist in as many games and now has six goal involvements in six games for Barça since the September international break.
With Raphinha and Fermín López out injured and with Dani Olmo looking far from his best, Torres and Rashford have stepped up and shown Flick they are more than capable of being significant contributors in attack.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as A Massive Wake-Up Call: Takeaways From Barcelona’s Worrying Defeat Against Paris Saint-Germain.
