The Barcelona hierarchy has reportedly not lost any faith in Hansi Flick’s methodology despite the team’s steep dip in form. The higher-ups instead believe that four key players are behind the Blaugrana’s misfortunes.
Barcelona Has Handed Real Madrid the Advantage in La Liga Race
La Liga aspirants Barcelona capped off October in spectacular fashion, beating Bayern Munich 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League and Real Madrid 4-0 in the Spanish top flight. They also started November on a high, claiming a thumping 3-1 win over Espanyol in La Liga and going six points clear of Los Blancos at the top of the rankings.
Since the win in the Catalan derby, the Blaugrana has been shockingly underwhelming in La Liga. In their last five matches, Barca has lost twice, drawn twice, and won just once. As a result, Real Madrid has come within a couple of points of Barca despite playing one game less. If they can win their game in hand, Madrid will go one point clear at the top of La Liga.
Barca Hierarchy Blames 4 Players for Dip in Form
Due to their dip in form, Barcelona coach Flick has understandably come under pressure. However, according to Diario SPORT, the German remains in the Blaugrana’s good graces, as the hierarchy blames four players for the club’s lackluster showings in La Liga.
As per SPORT, the Barca board believes the players need to step up to the plate to pull the team out of the rut. There is concern that some players have allowed their concentration to drop after the victories over Bayern and Real Madrid at the end of October. Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, and Dani Olmo are reportedly the four players the hierarchy blames the most. They feel that these four players have slacked off greatly in the last few weeks, which has hurt the team in the championship.
Few members of the coaching staff, meanwhile, believe that while Barca are devastating when they play more directly, they also need to find a way to be more poised. Others within the club also point to a lack of quality alternatives, which results in an increased workload on first-team players, as another key catalyst behind the slump.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
