Barcelona vs. Newcastle…bad performance but lucky with the result!

Despite the poor performance, the unconvincing technical data, and the low rate of desire to win, Barcelona was lucky and left St. James Park, Tuesday, with a 1-1 golden point in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League after snatching a goal in the 90th + 6th minute from a penalty kick, amidst the heartbreak and pain of more than 65,000 spectators who visited the “McPillars.”

As soon as the final whistle of the match sounded, social networking sites and sports councils were abuzz with criticism of Barcelona’s German coach, Hansi Flick, after the mediocre image in which the team appeared.

Why did Barcelona appear like this?

There are many reasons behind Barcelona’s poor technical image, the most prominent of which is Flick’s reliance on the traditional method of possession without speed in transferring the ball, as the lateral passes were more than longitudinal, interspersed with weak movements between the lines, and slowness in reaching the penalty area.

Barcelona also suffered from misuse of the sides, as the wings were isolated, and the full-backs did not advance much to support the attack, while crosses did not find an attacker in the right place.

On the other hand, Newcastle took advantage of Barcelona’s situation through defensive organization, closing the depth, and forcing Barcelona to play futilely on the flanks, while the English team closed the openings well, created more than one successful attack, took advantage of one, and scored the lead goal.

Flick bears responsibility

Flick bears Barcelona’s problem after the team lacked speed in the front line, the attack seemed isolated, and the midfield was unable to break the defensive bloc.

Had Italian referee Marco Guida not allowed a final Barcelona attack to continue after stoppage time, the Catalan team would not have been able to get a penalty kick taken by young star Lamine Jamal in the 90th + 6th minute, bringing Barcelona to a draw and stunning Newcastle, which outperformed them in the match, even in bilateral confrontations between the players.

Mundo Deportivo newspaper reported that Barcelona, ​​with minimal effort and a little gasoline, managed to equalize, adding that Newcastle was strong and intense, but coach Hansi Flick’s team, which conceded a goal in the 86th minute from Harvey Barnes, held out until the last minute and emerged with a vital draw before the return match at home.

Although a draw is not considered a disastrous result in football, the most important thing for the Catalan team remains the ability to restore its technical and mental balance in the upcoming matches, and return to the performance that befits the club’s history and the aspirations of its fans, starting with the return match scheduled for March 18 at the “Camp Nou” stadium.