CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2024/25
The Italian press analyzes Barça: the feared attack of the 'culé' club and its vulnerable defense
Published:17/04/2025 - 19:39h
Updated:17/04/2025 - 19:44h
Italy attentively observes Hansi Flick's Barça. Its impressive offensive power is undeniable, but its defensive risks could be key in their match against Inter Milan
FC Barcelona continues to captivate locals and strangers alike with its stellar level of play. Their path to the 'semis' of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 has sparked both admiration and extensive analysis in Italy, especially after their clash with Inter Milan was confirmed. For example, the prestigious newspaper 'La Gazzetta dello Sport' has praised the "goalscoring power" of the 'culé' team, led by the feared 'LRL' trident, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Lewandowski, in addition to the fact that the Catalan club "has returned to the continental top four". Although it warns about the defensive risks of the 'azulgrana' team.
FC Barcelona: an offensive machine that amazes Europe
That assertion is well-founded, since in this edition of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25, the team from the 'Ciudad Condal' has scored 37 goals in 12 matches (the most goals scored so far). Likewise, if the analysis is broadened a little more, it can be seen how Hansi Flick's team has scored 84 goals in 31 matchdays of LaLiga EA Sports. In total, the Barcelona team has scored 147 goals in 50 official matches this season. Staggering numbers.
"Flick is on track to break the scoring record in Spanish football set by Guardiola in his last year at the Camp Nou: 190 in 64 matches in the 2011-12 season, with Messi's monstrous 72 goals," commented in the aforementioned Italian newspaper. A record that looks like a truly complicated challenge to achieve, since there are only a dozen matches left and they should score another 44 goals.
After this analysis, the opportunity also arose to 'surrender' to Robert Lewandowski, who was described as "extraordinary" for the 2024-25 season he is having. 'Lewy' has already scored 40 goals and continues at an overwhelming offensive pace.
A high-risk defense: the 'culé' Achilles heel that Inter will seek to exploit
However, 'La Gazzetta dello Sport' pointed out what, in their opinion, is the main weakness of Hansi Flick's Barcelona and that Inter Milan should exploit. "But the aesthetic power of Flick's game also has an obvious Achilles heel: the very high defense this season has caused 32 goals to be disallowed to Barça's rivals for offside (the last two against Dortmund on Tuesday), but also considerable suffering," they warned.
And where does this approach come from? This is how the Italians explain it. "The Catalans defend with a block almost in the center of the field, and this offers spaces and opportunities to those who know how to defend aggressively and counterattack quickly," they said.
Even from Italy they delved into the analysis, mentioning specific names that could represent the weak points of the 'azulgrana' defense. "Balde's injury has opened a gap at left-back. Gerard Martín is not at the level of his teammate, just like Araujo, the first change in the middle, this year he is a substitute for himself," they commented.
Pedri González, the magic touch that elevates Barcelona
The analysis ended by mentioning an element of the 'culé' eleven that, as could not be otherwise, did not go unnoticed in the radiography of the Catalan team: the golden midfielder, Pedri González, to whom they dedicated these words: "The magic of 'Pedri Potter': the Canary Islander has returned to the stellar levels he reached before a few seasons complicated by a series of injuries, and with him, the Barça team runs at another level." And they emphasize: "He reminds many of Iniesta".
