Winning the Copa del Rey after over four years is an achievement worth celebrating on a massive scale. Barcelona, however, have no time for any such gala festivities.
As one of only two teams in Europe still in contention to win a treble, the Catalans are now faced with a massive challenge in the UEFA Champions League just days after the Clasico finale in the Cup.
Indeed, they now stare the first leg of the UCL semifinal against Inter Milan in the eye and will play host to the Italian giants tonight in Montjuic. The second leg will be played a week later in Milan.
A lot has been said about how the game will be the toughest challenge yet for Barcelona given Inter Milan’s compact defence, and Flick will have to tackle that variable with a relatively tired squad days after an exhausting finale.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Inter Milan.
Battling fatigue
Barcelona’s win over Real Madrid in the recent final of the Copa del Rey left the dressing room ecstatic and euphoric over winning the second trophy of the campaign.
Concurrently, however, the game brought fatigue to several key players of the team understandably so given how the game progressed.
While Barcelona were dominant for the better part of the game, they were forced to chase Real Madrid late in the second half. Ferran Torres netted a key equaliser, but the team had to play 30 extra minutes to seal the result.
Playing 120 minutes, needless to say, left Barcelona fatigued with several players even openly speaking about the same after the result.
The joy of winning a title may indeed have compensated for some of the fatigue felt by players, but it is clear that the Catalans may not have many first-team regulars back at 100% in time for the Inter Milan game.
The likes of Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Dani Olmo stand out as players who may have been the worst hit by the extra minutes, especially given how their position demands constant movement.
Tonight’s game for Barcelona, to a large extent, will depend on their ability to conquer that very fatigue and put up a fresh performance. 90 minutes of flawless football and the first-team regulars can look forward to a rest against Real Valladolid.
A dilemma at left-back
Gerard Martin and Hector Fort, for long, were seen as Barcelona’s best replacements at left-back after Alejandro Balde’s injury. Both players have had a role to play in recent games and have shown vastly different profiles.
With Balde completely ruled out for the game, the manager must once again make a choice of who to start at left-back. While Martin provides marginally better defensive stability, Fort promises relatively better attacking output.
As it turns out, however, there is a third option for Flick which the manager unveiled in the recent El Clasico – Inigo Martinez.
The Spanish veteran took over as Barcelona’s left-back in the latter stages of the game and served well playing as a full-back with rigid defensive stability.
Against Inter Milan who promise to be deadly on the counterattack and with man-to-man pressing, fielding Martinez at left-back may thus not be a bad idea.
In such a scenario, Ronald Araujo can start alongside Pau Cubarsi at centre-back, giving Barcelona more security on the transition. The manoeuvre, however, will undoubtedly come at the cost of some attacking firepower.
Will Flick stick with Martin at left-back, or will he experiment with Fort or Martinez on the night? His choice will be critical in dictating the flow of the game.
Unfamiliar territory
Being in the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League is something Barcelona have tackled numerous times in the past and a hurdle they have even overcome on several occasions.
Tackling the pressure that comes with being two matches away from the biggest game in football, needless to say, is easier said than done especially when lacking the required experience.
Barcelona’s squad, on that front, face a unique challenge in that none of the mainstay players have even played a semifinal in the UCL before barring Frenkie de Jong.
Notably, even the Dutchman played in the final four stages of the event not with Barcelona but with Ajax before his move to Catalonia.
Barcelona’s disastrous run in Europe in recent seasons ensured that they never made it to the semifinal stage, and the young dressing room thus enters unfamiliar territory from here on.
Last season, the young team including Ronald Araujo, Lamine Yamal, Pedri and others made it to the quarterfinal where they were knocked out by PSG. Taking to the field for the first time in the Champions League semifinal, they will be eager to pull off a great result.
Most importantly, however, it is vital that they approach the game with not just enthusiasm but maturity and instilling that sense of pragmatism is a task for Flick to manage.
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