Concerning or reassuring? The conclusions of Barcelona’s staff after Chelsea defeat

Barcelona fell to what was largely agreed was a rather limp defeat against Chelsea on Tuesday night, losing 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, and jeopardising their chances of securing a spot in the top eight of the league phase. The Catalan side were a goal down when Ronald Araujo was sent off, but Enzo Maresca’s side were already in the ascendancy.

Hence it was something of a surprise when Hansi Flick cut a rather optimistic figure in his post-match press conference. That was also the case for Joan Garcia, but defender Eric Garcia was much more critical of his side’s efforts in London.

The conclusions of Barcelona’s staff

The Barcelona coaching staff and Flick are not as concerned as many fans were by the performance, say MD. They believe that the key reasons for Barcelona’s loss were Araujo’s red card, and two excellent individual performances from Marc Cucurella and Estevao Willian, which swung the balance.

It was a third defeat to a ‘big’ side, following on from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. The Barcelona staff are conscious that against PSG, the game was decided when Pedri, Raphinha and Joan Garcia were not on the pitch, while their loss in London came without Pedri, and with Raphinha only fit for a minor chunk of the game.

Their belief is that once Barcelona have their best players fighting fit again, a different Barcelona will be seen, and that their capacity to press effectively will increase exponentially.

Barcelona are in talks with Shane Kluivert over his contract situation. After turning 18 and playing this year for Barça B with his contract due to expire in the summer, Barcelona offered the talented winger a new 3-year contract. No decision has been made yet. @FabrizioRomano

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) November 28, 2025

Concerning or reassuring?

There is little denying that Pedri and Raphinha were arguably Barcelona’s most key players last season alongside Lamine Yamal, and logic suggests that the presence of both would make a major difference. Getting their best team back out on the pitch should certainly make a major difference, and Flick’s confidence that a ‘different Barcelona’ is on the way should reassure fans.

In equal measure, it is perhaps concerning that Flick and Barcelona have little appetite for change, and their main solution is simply getting players back. As Fermin Lopez’s recent injury illustrated, the usual pattern these days is that a team’s best XI is not available, and Barcelona may need to Flick to find more solutions taking into account absences.

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