What the Loss to Atlético Madrid Means for Barcelona
Barcelona has once again lost in La Liga. What was once a nine-point first-place lead for the Catalan giants has turned into them most likely falling to third place following the 2-1 loss to Atlético Madrid. Barcelona entered the match without head coach Hansi Flick, who was out due to suspension, and starboy Lamine Yamal due to injury. This is Atlético's first win away at Barcelona in over 18 years and their first win against Barcelona since a 2-0 win in 2021. As a result of this defeat, Barcelona now has to play catchup, trailing Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid in the table.
What the Loss Shows
After Barcelona's impressive 4-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu, their season has been filled with lackluster results and similar recurring problems. Costly finishing and mental error have finally caught up to Barcelona, being the story of their season as of late. They have been able to control and dominate several matches where they did not win, but in the end, the result is what matters the most. This is now Barcelona's fourth loss in their last seven league matches. These recent defeats have put Barcelona in a tough position in the league. What seemed to be a rejuvenating season has now completely flipped. Losing potential points is officially not an option for Barcelona anymore. A wake-up call has to come quickly for this diverse squad heading into 2025, or else they could lose all hope in trying to fight for La Liga.
Future and Potential
Despite the recent fall of what was an impressive start to the season, Barcelona still has a lot of games to compete in and fight for. La Liga is still completely not out of reach for them, with over half of the season left and only a small amount of points separating the top three; they are very much in the fight still. Barcelona's next two matches are in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup, both matches that could help Barca gain some momentum heading into their next La Liga match on January 18th. Lastly, Barcelona is still in second place in the Champions League and has only seen defeat once through six matches thus far. In recent memory, the Champions League has not been kind to Barca since their last time lifting the trophy in 2015; however, it has been where Barcelona has been able to make their stride this season with important wins against Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. If all else fails, Barcelona breaking their Champions League curse could be the only trophy Barca needs to call this season a success.
