Three talking points as Barcelona share spoils with Club Brugge in the Champions League | OneFootball

FC Barcelona took a trip to Belgium to face Club Brugge in the Champions League. The game ended 3-3, a thrilling draw, with both teams going at each other’s throats. The Catalan club have not played at their best for quite some time.

The first half started with Brugge on the attack, opening the scoring early on. Through Ferran Torres, Barcelona almost instantly equalised to make it 1-1. However, the Belgian side quickly regained their advantage, and the game was neatly poised at 2-1 at half-time.

Lamine Yamal helped Barcelona equalise at 2-2, only for the Catalan club to concede again. Eventually, the Spanish teenager did not give up, and through sheer determination the visitors managed to take a point from the game.

With all this in mind, here are three talking points for Barcelona after their away trip to Club Brugge in the Champions League.

1. Lamine Yamal is back!

Much has been said about Barcelona star Lamine Yamal’s performances in recent weeks. The Spanish teenager has come under scrutiny for his less-than-usual displays, especially against Real Madrid in El Clasico.

Even at the weekend, despite flashes of brilliance, Lamine seemed to be playing within himself against the newly-promoted side. Thus, no one was sure what to expect from the Spanish winger against Club Brugge last night.

It took around 20 minutes for Lamine to warm up. After that, there was no stopping him. The Spaniard was playing at a different level, toying with Brugge’s defence and almost always carrying a threat.

It came as no surprise to see him equalise for Barcelona with a goal that would have made Lionel Messi proud, and it was his constant effort that ensured the Catalan club secured a 3-3 draw in this difficult tie.

2. Marc Casado, it is a ball, not a bomb!

Marc Casado got another start at the base of midfield in Pedri’s absence, but it effectively felt like Barcelona were playing with only Frenkie de Jong as a midfield option. The 22-year-old was treating the ball like a bomb.

One wonders what happened to the metronomic version of Casado that dominated against teams like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid last season. This version seems riddled with self-doubt and plays as if he does not know how to make a pass.

Casado went extremely safe with his distribution last night, which put all the onus on Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman did whatever he could on his own and, to be fair, he absolutely owned the midfield against Brugge.

There was a significant improvement in ball progression once Olmo replaced Casado early in the second half. Playing deeper in midfield, the Barcelona No. 20 did not look out of place, and he could be an option to start against Vigo this weekend.

3. Sunday league defending

Even a Sunday league team would pay more attention to defending than Barcelona are at the moment. Club Brugge carved open the Catalan side with ease, and there seemed to be no fight from Flick’s men in this regard.

Last night’s performance was one step in the right direction from an attacking point of view but two steps in the wrong direction defensively. Things looked catastrophic, and Szczesny did not do enough to support his back line either.

The high line that served Flick’s team so well last season seems incapable of doing its job this time around. Pau Cubarsi’s absence was dearly felt, but this appears to be more of a structural issue than a personnel one.

Flick remains bullish about retaining this identity, and if that is the case, the team need to find a way to make the high line effective again. Let’s wait and see how things play out in the coming weeks.