It seems that the teams in La Liga have found a way to counter Barcelona's high defensive line. This was an important tactical aspect to help the Blaugrana fly high in the early stages of the season.
In addition, coach Hansi Flick's students are no longer themselves compared to the beginning of the season. They became tired, lacked sharpness and played cramped.
And of course, Flick himself has also contributed to aggravating Barca's difficult situation by not rotating the squad often enough or well enough. Finally, when Barcelona flew high and continuously scored, Robert Lewandowski played extremely impressively in attack. That has hidden the fact that when Lewandowski is not well supported by his teammates, he is no longer himself. Slow, prone to losing the ball as well as passing to the wrong address, the Polish striker almost "disappeared" on the field. The question is even, should Lewy start at this time?
To reduce Barcelona's difficulties, the image of Lamine Yamal holding back his pain to play against Leganes is the most typical proof. Or it could be Antonio Rudiger's mocking smile when he learned that Barcelona lost 1-0 to Leganes.
It is not difficult to understand the joy of the Real Madrid centre-back. Los Blancos have been held to a draw by Rayo Vallecano but they can still narrow the gap with Barcelona.
All of this turned Barcelona's home match against Atletico Madrid into a storm. Flick will still be absent from the sidelines due to suspension and in fact Yamal is also injured. The young Spanish star's ability to play will depend on medical examinations. And remember, Barcelona have not won a single La Liga game this season without Yamal starting.
With all the things Diego Simeone - a quirky but undeniably strong one has achieved when leading Atletico for the past 13 years, the victory over Barcelona in La Liga is not among them. In fact, they have not beaten Barca away from home in the competition for nearly 19 years.
Barcelona have defeated Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in a proud way. But all that could change if they lose to Atletico Madrid this weekend. They could easily lose the top spot to their opponents and promise a stormy 2025.
