FC Barcelona paid dearly for the rotations made by Hansi Flick during the visit to Osasuna (4-2). The German coach wanted to rest the majority of his starters, especially those who had accumulated the most minutes in the previous seven rounds of LaLiga. With the exception of Jules Koundé and Robert Lewandowski, the man from Heidelberg reserved his trusted men and Barça looked very gray, with many errors in defense and a midfield lacking ideas.
For Barça, the alternative XI ended up with a team divided in two, with large spaces in the midfield and a defense that was lukewarm in pressure and slow to react to local counterattacks. The offensive trident was not good either, with Ferran Torres and Pau Víctor very isolated on the sides and Lewandowski erratic in finishing. In the complement, the changes did not help much either and, with the exception of Lamine Yamal, none of those who entered had any weight in the game.
Koundé and Cubarsí, surpassed in Pamplona
The defense was the key point of the culé shipwreck in Pamplona. Despite the presence of Koundé and Cubarsí in the XI, the locals found it easier to reach the wings, especially with Bryan Zaragoza on the right. The first 'rojillo' goal marked the Frenchman and the youth player, since the cross that led to Ante Budimir's header was possible thanks to the passivity in the '23' mark and the central defender's late reaction. Jules went on the attack a lot in the second half, creating depth, but also spaces that Sergi Domínguez was unable to cover. The youth player, in fact, came out with cramps in the 85th minute.
Barça missed Marc Casadó
Another absence that weighed heavily against Osasuna was that of Marc Casadó. Flick opted for Eric García as the only pivot and, beyond the supportive work of Pedri, Barça was clearly surpassed in the center of the field. The '17' entered in the 70th minute alongside Alejandro Balde, but it was already too late and the culés never managed to recover the order that, leading by line, they had shown in the previous days.
Lewandowski did not have his night at El Sadar
Another low point in the Barça XI was Robert Lewandowski. The Pole, top scorer of the tournament, wasted two clear chances in the second half that, although they did not affect the final result, could have allowed Barça to get fully into the game with greater propriety. Ferran fulfilled his role as a right winger, with a day in which he went from less to more, with an assist and a ball hitting the crossbar at the end. Pau Víctor didn't have a great night either, but at least he was able to score in the only one he had.