Atalanta ended Barcelona’s winning streak in the league phase of the new-look Champions League, but the Blaugrana should take a minute to appreciate what they’ve accomplished over the past few months.
They were just one goal away on Wednesday from finishing in first place in front of Liverpool. On goal difference, they were the top team in Europe with a +15 margin.
Hansi Flick did it the Barcelona way. By playing attacking football, and fearing no one.
After traumatizing the club five years ago with his 8-2 Baverian takedown that sent the club into a tailspin, the German manager has become the man to put the Catalan giants back together again.
For years, Barcelona looked scared in the competition. This was true especially under Ronald Koeman, but even Xavi had his struggles in the Europa League of all places. That being said, Barcelona did make an impressive run to the quarterfinals in 2024, before being eliminated in shocking, albeit familiar, fashion by PSG.
So now, the work really begins.
Securing second place was important, because it puts them opposite of Liverpool in the bracket. It would be a joy to see those two attacking powerhouses meet in the final in Munich, and I believe Barcelona would match up well.
But here’s some realism. Just because they got an automatic pass into the round of 16 doesn’t mean it will be an easy journey. In fact, they will play either PSG, Monaco (who already beat them twice this season), Benfica, or Brest.
They will be tested right away. And ultimately, Flick will be judged by how far he can go in this competition, especially with such a big gap opening at the top of the table in La Liga.
They lost to Monaco in much the same manner that they lost to PSG a year ago, which was with a self-inflicted early red card.
They took care of business against Young Boys and Crvena zvezda, two of the worst teams in the competition, and they got statement wins against Bayern Munich and Dortmund.
The last two games, however, against Benfica and Atalanta, they learned just how tough, unforgiving, and unpredictable, the Champions League promises to be.
