Out of the 45 goals that Barcelona has conceded this season under Hansi Flick, 18 of them (40%) have come in the first ten minutes or the last ten – plus added time – of their matches. This tendency to switch off at the start or end of games has shown up in 14 of the 45 matches the team has played this season, with the latest example being the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal against Atlético de Madrid (4-4).

Comebacks and Lapses in Focus

In a thrilling match, Barcelona had to come from behind after goals from Julián Álvarez (1st min) and Antoine Griezmann (6th min), but ended up drawing after conceding two more late goals from Marcos Llorente (84th min) and Alexander Sorloth (90+3rd min). The lack of focus in the final minutes proved to be a deciding factor, leaving Flick's team without a win.

The Impact of Last-Minute Goals

In LaLiga, Atlético de Madrid had already beaten Barcelona at the Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys (1-2), with another last-minute goal from Sorloth (90+6th min). In addition, Celta managed to steal two points at Balaídos, coming from behind (2-2) in a game that seemed lost, thanks to goals from Alfon González (84th min) and Hugo Álvarez (86th min). This trend continued with more late goals conceded in games like against Betis (5-1) or Girona (1-4), where the goals didn’t directly affect the result but reflected the ongoing issue of dropping points in the final moments.

In contrast, Barcelona did manage to pull off comebacks in certain games, such as in the Spanish Supercup against Real Madrid, after an early goal from Kylian Mbappé (5th min) or from Unai López (9th min) in Vallecas, where Pedri and Dani Olmo turned the game around in the second half (1-2). The one lesson Barcelona under Flick still needs to master is maintaining focus for the full 90 minutes (or longer).