It wasn’t fairly in the long run, however Barcelona nearly did sufficient to e book their place within the Champions League semi-finals regardless of a 3-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. The Catalans’ 4-0 victory in final week’s first leg made the distinction as they progressed 5-3 on combination.
There was loads of reward for Barcelona this season, with many supporters and pundits claiming that vital progress has been made since Hansi Flick’s arrival as head coach final summer season. The German head coach has instilled a really entertaining model of play, and every now and then, they’ve been totally dominant in matches too.
However curiously, Barcelona had been on the identical level as final season previous to Tuesday’s match, as Diario AS have highlighted. In La Liga, they’re on 70 factors after 31 matches, which is similar because the 2023-24 marketing campaign, which was Xavi Hernandez’s final as supervisor.
However the large distinction is now within the Champions League. Final season, Barcelona had been in a superb place to achieve the semi-finals after a 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in Paris within the first leg of their quarter-final tie. However a second leg capitulation noticed the Catalans exit the competitors – and though it seems like comparable might have occurred in Dortmund, it proved to not be the case in the long run.
It’s clear to see that Barcelona are making progress underneath Flick, even when it’s not as a lot as many individuals have thought. They’re well-placed for a historic treble of La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey, and the subsequent few weeks will probably be essential as as to if these aspirations can change into a actuality.
The objective for Barcelona is to maintain profitable matches. The defeat in Dortmund was their first in 2025, and Flick’s process will now be to make sure that one other unbeaten run begins for his aspect.