Should we betray ourselves?

When Francesco Acerbi cruelly ended the dream of reaching the Munich final, frustration took hold of Barcelona fans. The opinion also took hold that if Hansi Flick's Barça had made it, they would have had a chance of winning it, no matter how much Luis Enrique's all-powerful PSG faced them. The flavor of last season was special, magical. That's why the procession celebrating the titles had a dreamlike quality, as if a harbinger of what was to come. At the start of Flick's second year, hopes are poured into the Champions League, Because this time it should be. The Catalans finished the season with sky-high self-esteem, a justified credit to the coach and the players who raised the bar beyond their capabilities. And now what they want to know is whether, once and for all, Barça can be crowned the best team in Europe.

For now, the first lab test has come up empty. A scientific test that was heavily influenced by the absences on both sides, but it provides clues as to where the team stands in relation to the current champion. It's clear that, in the here and now, the gap exists. The good news is that we're not talking about moving light years beyond reach, but the truth is that, despite being able to compete head-to-head for more than half an hour, PSG's footballing and physical quality is still solidly superior. It was both painful and metaphorical to see how Pedri had to be substituted due to exhaustion, after having dedicated himself to chasing shadows. Without the Canary, the whole scheme falls apart, and everything becomes much more difficult to piece together: stability, rhythm, and identity. Flick acknowledged the worrying collective fatigue, but to aspire to everything, you have to analyze your game above all else.

We love Flick's philosophy for its boldness, but it also demands a degree of precision and excellence that's difficult to sustain for 90 minutes against top teams who are contenders for everything. Therefore, the defeat against PSG reopens the debate about whether it's possible to take the European throne while maintaining such a high defensive line. Authoritative voices in the football world, such as former Barcelona player Thierry Henry, believe it's too punishing. Perhaps it's not about betraying oneself, but rather about finding mechanisms to protect oneself in certain situations where being always perfect is a pipe dream. Minimizing certain risks doesn't necessarily mean changing one's skin, but rather making it tougher. The best part is that we're in October, and there's still a lot of ground to cover. Winning the Champions League will be hard work.