Barcelona were outclassed by Real Madrid and saw their perfect record against their bitter rivals since Hansi Flick’s arrival come to an end.
Xabi Alonso’s side looked sharper, more intense and outright better than the reigning La Liga champions. Real Madrid dominated Barcelona for stretches of the match and the 2–1 final score is even perhaps too kind for Flick’s side given what transpired at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The loss was Barcelona’s third in five October matches, the same exact number of defeats the Catalans had previously suffered through the first eight months of 2025.
Unconvincing performances have become synonymous with Barcelona in Flick’s sophomore season. The team looks miles off the level compared to a triumphant 2024–25 that heightened expectations coming into the campaign.
Fortunately for Barcelona there’s still plenty left to be written this season, but they’re now five points adrift of Los Blancos in La Liga following the El Clásico gut-punch. Right now, there’s more doubt than certainty surrounding the Blaugranas and significant change is needed to rebound from the negative run of results.
Rediscover Identity
In a way, losing against Real Madrid for the first time in the Flick era is perhaps exactly what Barcelona needed.
Barcelona opened the term looking like a team that was still gloating last season’s success, carrying themselves as a side that merely needed to show up in order to win games. Their individual quality and moments of magic allowed them to go eight unbeaten to start the season, but their luck’s run out.
For the entirety of Flick’s debut term, Barça played like a selfless unit that seemed solely motivated to return the cub to the summit of both Spanish and European soccer. Dismantling Real Madrid twice didn’t alter Barça’s mentality or reduce their hunger and they went on to beat their bitter rivals two more times in the final month of the season.
But 2024–25’s success appears to have gotten to the head of a young side that has played the entirety of the present term lacking the edge, intensity and desire that defined last season’s team. Barcelona are playing like a disjointed side, relying on individuals rather than the sum of their parts.
Effort and intensity are non-negotiables for Barça’s success in Flick’s system. Barcelona must come together and rediscover their character. Real Madrid emphatically ending Barça’s four-game El Clásico winning streak means humble pie should be back on the menu for the Catalans, and that’s exactly what a team that looks to be resting on their previous success needs.
Find Defensive Stability
Through 13 games across all competitions this season, Barcelona have kept just three clean sheets, two of them coming against teams that are currently in La Liga’s relegation zone.
Eric García and Pau Cubarsí have been Flick’s preferred center back partnership so far. While the pair offers Barcelona more quality on the ball, it’s a one dimensional pairing that lacks physicality, speed and power, as Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappé exposed.
Ronald Araújo has made his fair share of mistakes in recent times and has been subject to intense criticism from Barça supporters. Nevertheless, the Uruguayan’s tenacity, physical prowess and undeniable leadership attributes are exactly what Barcelona are missing in the aftermath of Iñigo Martínez’s departure.
If Flick is adamant on sticking to his trademarked high-line—there’s no indication change is coming—then Araújo, Barcelona’s best open-space center back, needs to enter the lineup.
This would also allow García to potentially compete for a starting role at right back, where he performed brilliantly at the tail-end of last season. Jules Koundé has looked far from the level he showcased a season ago recently, yet nobody’s threatening his place in the lineup.
Barcelona can’t be considered serious contenders with the current state of their defense. Flick must find solutions to fix his leaky back line, or signing a defensive reinforcement in January should be worthy of consideration.
Unlocking the Attack
Nobody would’ve named Marcus Rashford and Fermín López as Barcelona’s two most dangerous attackers going into the season, yet that was very much the case against Real Madrid.
Barcelona’s attack has looked unimaginative and slow over the past month—barring a 6–1 thrashing of an undermanned Olympiacos. Injuries have unquestionably played a significant role, but it must be said that Barça’s attacking dip is also due in large part to key players underperforming.
Dani Olmo has been dismal this term, offering little to no creativity in the final third, before a hamstring injury kept him out of Barcelona’s last three games. Although Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres have four La Liga goals this term, their overall performance has been far from great, offering little on and off the ball while also struggling for fitness.
Lamine Yamal’s lone non-penalty goal came two games into the term. It’s evident the star teenager is still not fully recovered from a nagging groin injury and he looks a fraction slower and more tentative than his 2024–25 version.
As a whole, Barcelona’s attack looks out of rhythm. The front line lacks movement, quick combinations, beaming creativity and clinical finishing. Raphinha’s absence has proven to be a devastating blow, but Barça should have enough alternatives to fill his void.
Olmo and Lewandowski will return relatively soon. Flick now must find a way to unlock a struggling attack that was toothless at the Bernabéu. Between injuries and inconsistent play, Flick is yet to repeat the same front four in consecutive games this season.
Careful Injury Management
Less than three months into the season, 15 Barcelona players have already missed games due to injury. There hasn’t been a full week without a fresh player injury since August.
Barcelona’s squad has been incredibly thin for two months now, with several players being asked to play three games in the span of eight days consistently. There’s no better example than Pedri, who had started all 13 games and had made 53 consecutive appearances for club and country since late January.
Perhaps the most influential player in Flick‘s side is bound for the sidelines, potentially until December, with a hamstring injury.
He joins Gavi, Raphinha, Joan García, Marc-André ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Lewandowski and Olmo in the treatment room. A vast list that’s stayed at around that same number for some time now. It seems that every time a player is cleared to return, another gets hurt.
The injuries have played a role in overall fatigue early in the season, which has contributed to Barça’s lack of intensity during games.
Flick and co. must assess what can be done to prevent further injuries. It’s also essential that they don’t rush players back. Barcelona pushed for Raphinha to be ready in time for El Clásico and aggravated his existing hamstring injury.
The same thing happened with Yamal’s groin injury in late September. The Spaniard is back now, but he appears to be at less than 100% and Barcelona are tempting fate.
There’s nothing that can be done to erase the existing injury list, but Barcelona must do everything in their power to protect players by managing them accordingly.
If Barcelona are to have an injury crisis, it’s better it happens now than during the decisive part of the campaign. But if there’s no change in approach to player fitness and the worrying trend continues, there won’t be much to compete for come next spring.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Things Barcelona Must Do to Bounce Back From El Clasico Defeat.
