Barcelona had a very difficult match against Rayo Vallecano at home in the context of being considered much stronger. Perhaps the pressure to win to reclaim the top spot has become a burden for Robert Lewandowski and his teammates.
The match against Rayo was not the Blaugrana's best performance since the beginning of the season, but the result was the most perfect, 3 points and the top spot after many weeks of separation. Just 1 month ago, when their form plummeted disastrously, not many people thought Hansi Flick's team could return to this leading position.
The 1-1 draw with Getafe marked the worst run of matches of the Hansi Flick era at Barca, a run of days that the German coach called a "bad November". At that time, the " Catalan Giants" only earned 6 points in 8 matches. The last time Barca were so bad was in 2007 2008 under Frank Rijkaard.
The "bad November" started with a 0-1 loss to Real Sociedad on 10 November 2024, not long after they beat Real Madrid 4-0 and Bayern Munich 4-1 in the same week last October. After that, starting with a 5-4 victory over Benfica, 7-1 against Valencia, 1-0 against Alaves and 4-1 against Sevilla, Barcelona returned to their best form. They immediately entered the race to the top of the table with the two teams from Madrid and went straight to the round of 16 of the Champions League with the second place in the group after the qualifying round.
Except for the declining form of Real and Atletico Madrid, the youth in the squad is the factor that helps Hansi Flick's team bounce back. Barca's team has had a difficult problem when trying to keep the young stars excited every week. Psychological instability is the most obvious characteristic of young players. They are firmly in 2nd place in the Champions League qualifying round but easily lost to opponents like Las Palmas or Leganes in La Liga.
The 2024 Christmas holiday is the milestone that changes everything. Flick really needs that time to recover the squad and wait for the injuries to return. The German captain has more firepower in the squad and is gradually correcting previous mistakes.
Previously, Hansi Flick had the concept of "Change People on the Excel Chart". Before each match, the German captain will prepare a few reserve players in a certain form to be put on the field regardless of the situation and the result. However, when his form declined, he was forced to change this way of doing things. For example, in the recent match against Sevilla, he brought on Fermin Lopez to replace Gavi. From the first touch, Lopez scored.
Barcelona will have a smooth away trip to Las Palmas this Sunday before hosting Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey semi-finals. The race in La Liga has now shifted their right to decide for themselves, Hansi Flick and his team certainly do not want to miss the opportunity again.
The journey in the Champions League may be favorable, but deciding on fate based on available strategies lies in La Liga. Flick needs a championship title this season to re-establish Barca's dominance in Spain, before considering taking the team back to the top position in Europe.
