What went wrong for Barcelona in their 1-4 La Liga defeat to Sevilla – Analysis | OneFootball

FC Barcelona suffered a disappointing and crushing loss to Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan last night. It was one of the first times the team had been humbled during Hansi Flick’s tenure as manager.

The 4-1 defeat came on the back of another setback midweek against PSG. The Catalan side were far from their best in the Champions League clash with the Parisians, and more of the same continued against Sevilla.

There are several glaring issues for Flick to address, and it is fair to say that against Sevilla, he got his starting line-up wrong. He named a backline of Szczesny, Ronald Araujo, and Gerard Martin.

While there is nothing wrong with those three players individually, fielding them together meant that Barcelona struggled considerably with ball progression in the first half. For all their qualities, the trio is not particularly known for their ability on the ball.

Sevilla came with a clear plan to press Barcelona high up the pitch. They went man-to-man on Flick’s team, suffocating them and preventing them from playing out from the back. This approach allowed Sevilla to take a 2–0 lead within the first 40 minutes.

Araujo, in particular, became a pressing trigger for Sevilla; each time he received the ball, they forced him into errors. As a result, the responsibility for ball progression fell almost entirely on Pau Cubarsi. As talented as he is, he could not manage it alone.

It was no surprise that Flick recognised this at half-time and substituted both Araujo and Martin for Eric Garcia and Alejandro Balde. The change immediately improved the team’s ability to play through Sevilla’s pressure.

Eric, in particular, is among the best in the world when it comes to progressing the ball from defence. Although Barcelona lost some defensive solidity, the switch enabled them to create enough chances to mount a potential comeback. This, however, led to the second major issue.

Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images

A lack of clinical finishing in front of goal stood between Barcelona and a positive result. Flick’s side played a much-improved second half and even earned a golden opportunity to equalise, but Lewandowski failed to convert his penalty.

Pedri and Roony Bardghji also had excellent chances to score, yet the Sevilla goalkeeper stood tall to deny them. There were numerous moments when Barcelona’s attackers should have done better.

Another pressing concern for Flick is the number of underperforming players. The likes of Dani Olmo, Lewandowski, and Jules Kounde have not made strong starts to the 2-25/26 season, despite being key figures in the past.

When both the system and the players fall short, success becomes difficult to achieve. Flick must also be more deliberate in his team selections and tactical choices going forward.

The upcoming two-week international break offers Flick the perfect opportunity to revitalise the team and allow some players to get much-needed rest. It remains to be seen whether we will witness a rejuvenated Barcelona side once club football resumes.