Rob us, please

In a matter of days, Barça has lost oxen and cowbells. The defeats at the Metropolitano and Montilivi cannot be dismissed as mere minor setbacks, as both send worrying signals with direct consequences for the team's chances of retaining two titles. Hansi Flick had been feeling uneasy for several matches. He quickly detects the mood in the dressing room, and just as he sensed at Stamford Bridge that they were on the verge of turning things around, in recent weeks he had seen that the trend was not what he hoped for. He had emphasized the players' lack of concentration in the first halves, complained about the intensity of their pressing and duels, and also highlighted the difficulty in scoring goals. Flick cannot tolerate a loss of hunger.

After handing the league lead to Arbeloa's Real Madrid (!), Flick decided to give the squad two days off, seeking a "reset"Mental." "Perhaps they're tired," he said, without knowing (or wanting) to specify the reason for the general decline. If you take away this Barça's offensive exuberance, it's left naked. Not even a crime like the one committed by the Soto Grado-Gálvez Rascón duo could hide the fact that the Blaugrana team had been dismantling itself, just as it has been falling apart. In the first half of the season, Míchel had given Flick a few lessons, but he fell into the trap again: and that's his responsibility. The indignation with the refereeing, completely justified, couldn't cover up the harakiri they committed on the pitch.

When poor Spanish refereeing, with its long and storied history against Barça, becomes so prominent, it's because football itself is failing. Pep Guardiola said that nothing can be left to chance: you have to be excellent to prevent the referees from being decisive. And now it's the manager's turn: Flick, whose credibility is still intact, must demonstrate greater tactical flexibility and show that he's capable of evolving his approach. We shouldn't ask him to betray his own principles, but rather trust that he'll provide alternatives for his players, who are tired of chasing shadows in relentless transitions. We're at a crucial moment that could define not only the outcome of the season, but also the longevity of Flick's project. The upcoming matches have become the barometer of his philosophy.