The F.C. Barcelona this Tuesday faces one of the biggest challenges of the season: overcoming the 4-0 defeat against the Atlético de Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals. The German coach Hansi Flick It was clear in the previous:
“We want to make the impossible possible.”
The objective is as ambitious as it is obvious: score at least four goals and keep a clean sheet to force extra time or achieve a direct pass to the final.
Flick: intensity, hunger and unity
The Barça coach appealed to collective faith and competitive mentality:
Play with intensity
Do not give up a ball for lost
Press without rest
Win individual duels
Avoid Atlético transitions
“We are not giving up although it is not going to be easy,” said Flick, who is experiencing such an extreme comeback situation for the first time in his career.
The German also stressed the importance of support at the Camp Nou, which will have a mini entertainment stand to enhance the team-fan connection in a stadium still conditioned by the works.
Lamine Yamal, the leader of hope
If Barcelona fans believe it, it is largely because of Lamine Yamal’s spectacular moment.
The young talent has just scored his first hat-trick at the Camp Nou and is going through his best streak of the season. After overcoming physical problems of pubalgia and reducing his media exposure, the winger has regained freshness, explosiveness and confidence.
His message on social networks summarizes the spirit of the locker room:
“1% chance, 99% faith.”
A phrase that inevitably reminds us of the legendary comeback against PSG in 2017, although Flick avoided looking to the past: “I only talk about the here and now.”
Sensitive losses and opportunity for others
Barça will not have:
Robert Lewandowski (fracture in the eye socket)
Gavi
Eric Garcia
Andreas Christensen
Lewandowski’s absence will force Ferran Torres to take on the offensive role.
For Flick, losses are not excuses but opportunities: “It is time for others to show their quality.”
The tactical plan: score first, think later
Flick insisted on the importance of not becoming obsessed with the second goal before achieving the first. The message is clear:
Score two goals in each half
Play smart
Compete with hunger
The coach made tactical adjustments in recent games that reinforced high pressing and offensive aggressiveness. Against Atlético, the team will need maximum precision and total concentration.
Miracle or new historical page?
Coming back from 4-0 against a team as strong as Atlético seems like a titanic mission. However, Barça clings to:
The differential talent of Lamine Yamal
The energy of Camp Nou
The mentality that Flick tries to implement
The competitive need of the club
If he achieves it, it will not just be a qualification for the final. It will be confirmation that Flick’s project has returned to the team the competitive faith that seemed lost in recent seasons.
