The Posts Keep Barcelona from the Top Spot: 17 in 19 Matches!

Raphinha was the last player from FC Barcelona to attend a nearly unmissable appointment for the blue and garnet team this season in LaLiga: shots hitting the post. Against Atlético de Madrid (1-2), the Brazilian hit the crossbar in a play that ultimately became key in the culé defeat, the second in a row in the tournament and the third consecutive at Montjuïc, matching the worst home streak for Barça.

In the 57th minute, Rafa took advantage of a great pass into space from Pedri González to go one-on-one against Jan Oblak. The '11' caught the Slovenian off guard and attempted a perfect lob that, unfortunately, hit the crossbar. After the rebound, Robert Lewandowski was also close to scoring, but Witsel blocked the Polish striker's shot. In stoppage time, after a lethal counterattack, Sorloth completed the 'rojiblanco' comeback in the 90+6.

Hansi Flick Confident in Turning Around Barça's Offensive Slump

In the post-match press conference, Hansi Flick expressed disappointment over the defeat but pride in the image shown by the team, especially in the first half where the culés deserved to go into halftime with a greater lead. In that sense, he made it clear that, looking ahead to the second half of the season, Barça will make the necessary adjustments in attack to leave behind the 'jinx' with the posts.

"It is a great frustration before Christmas, but we will come back stronger. The team will show that we can score more", commented the German. With Raphinha's shot hitting the crossbar, Barça extended their lead in LaLiga as the team with the most shots hitting the woodwork. According to 'Míster Chip' statistics, Villarreal (10) and Atlético de Madrid (9) follow the culés in a statistic that, unfortunately, has contributed to the sharp decline of the blue and garnet team in the tournament.