Barça loses its magic and leaves Seville scalded.

BarcelonaFootball is a strange game. In just one week, Barça has gone from celebrating Lamine Yamal's return by taking first place to losing it with a well-deserved defeat in Seville. A tragic week in which Flick's team has robbed themselves of much of the credit with two painful defeats. The one in Seville more than the one against PSG, due to their opponent and their play. Basically, Flick's team deserved to lose in a match in which not even poor refereeing decisions can explain the disaster. The first half was one of those that hurt the eyes. In the second, Lewandowski missed the penalty that could have tied the game. Shortly after, Carmona and Adams made it 4-1, knocking Barça out in a stadium where Sevilla had only won one game in six months.

Hansi Flick knew they had to win. For teams like Barça, a defeat provokes exaggerated debates. In just a few days, you can go from being the envy of everyone to being the Titanic heading for disaster. The German knows this, and he was clear that to forget all the doubts raised by PSG, he had to return with all the gold from Sevilla in his pocket. And thus remain top of the table throughout the international break, soothingly. That's why he started with all the starters available, no rotations. The lineup was a statement of intent; Barça had to make itself heard. It was time to banish the ghosts and show that the European defeat, against the champions and with absences, wasn't serious enough to knock themselves out.

But the team came out sleepy. It was impossible to recognize the league champion in a team that arrived late, lacked intensity, and lost the ball. It looked like a rough draft drawn by someone with little flair. Sevilla, which after years of losing seems to be recovering its footballing identity with Almeyda on the bench, devoured a team that, more than yearning for Lamine Yamal, yearns to play well. Nothing went right for a team where Kounde had a highway at his back, De Jong was making poor decisions, Dani Olmo was missing, and Pedri, like the day he had played PSG, was dragging his tired feet. The home side prowled the Catalan box, like a wolf waiting for the moment to snatch a sheep from the flock. What they didn't expect was that they would get it thanks to a highly dubious penalty by Araujo on Isaac Romero. Too dubious, since the two players' legs simply crossed. The surprising thing about it was that the penalty was shouted at Alejandro Muñiz by VAR, out of Flick's desperation.

Nothing went right for Barça. And the Barcelona fans were wondering what year they were living in, seeing how the one who converted the penalty was Chilean Alexis Sánchez, the veteran Chilean who many had perhaps given up for retired after years in England and Italy. Instead of a triumphal march, a requiem was playing in Seville. Gloomy music accompanied eleven players shuffling like lost souls, while Flick watched his high defense be overcome too easily by the home side, as defenders faltered and midfielders failed to press whoever sent the ball behind the Barça Maginot line. As usual, Barça's best player was Szczesny, who made two worthy saves, but he was unable to prevent Sevilla's second goal from a move in which Jules Kounde let his wallet be stolen. With three passes, Almeyda's team crossed half the pitch and Isaac Romero scored the 2-0. Barça protested a potential foul on the Frenchman, but that wasn't the problem. If the penalty had been unfair, the result wasn't. It felt like a trip back in time, as if Sevilla were winning European titles and Barça were Quique Setién's team.

In the first half, only Marcus Rashford seemed to make an attempt on the wing. First, he received a fine long pass from Cubarsí to go one-on-one with Vlachodimos, and missed. But in the final play of the first half, he gave the team life by spectacularly finishing off a Pedri cross. There was life. The team was sinking, and Rashford had found a lifeboat.

Flick, with a sour face, sent Gerard Martín and a horrible Araujo to the corner at halftime. With Eric at center back and Balde on the wing, Barça improved. But unfortunately, it wasn't a clear dominance. They had simply balanced an open game with chances at both ends. Sevilla conceded a little, but searched for a third with targeted attacks that tormented a tired and dispirited Barça. In just a few days, the magic of a team that had recently been in first place had been broken, and now they are stunned, as if they hadn't taken PSG's blow well. It was a day to forget. And not even Lewadonwski, as reliable as an Olympic shooting champion normally is, equalized when Balde forced a penalty with fifteen minutes left. The Pole shot wide, as if he wanted to express his sympathy for his teammates' poor performance. Despite good minutes from Roony Bardghji, one of the few who stands out, it was a matter of conceding. And Carmona and Adams confirmed this by scoring two more counterattack goals in the final minutes. A painful end to a sad game.

Beyond the absences of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, Barça saw their gaps widen, overwhelmed by their opponents' play and attitude. Flick will have to turn things around because it's not a crisis, far from it. But it could happen in time, if performances like those in Seville are repeated. Alarm bells have gone off.