Barcelona displays signs of exhaustion in a challenging draw with Real Betis.
Barcelona battled hard but couldn’t find the breakthrough. While the draw with Real Betis isn’t a disaster, especially with Real Madrid dropping three points to Valencia, there’s a sense of frustration in the air. The team will leave their home ground disappointed, knowing they had a chance to extend their lead at the top.
From a broader perspective, though, Barcelona can’t be too harsh on themselves. They were the better side against a well-drilled, in-form Real Betis, but despite their dominance, they couldn’t break a resilient defense that Seville’s team was content to hold.
Coming off a tough stretch of four games after the international break, Barcelona has managed three wins and a draw, maintaining an unbeaten record in 2025. While perfection isn’t the target, everyone knows there will be days like this.
However, as the critical Champions League quarterfinal against Borussia Dortmund looms, there are signs of fatigue. Meanwhile, Dortmund secured a commanding 4-1 win over Freiburg, and while their campaign isn’t stellar, they’re a dangerous team with plenty of experience in knockout competitions.
It’s good to see Gavi starting and scoring, while Raphinha and Pedri got some rest. But Lamine Yamal is in desperate need of a break if Barcelona wants to keep him performing at his best. In many ways, this was a patched-together Barcelona lineup.
Ferran Torres has been in good form, but it’s clear that he and Robert Lewandowski don’t seem to mesh well on the field together—it’s one or the other. Perhaps it would’ve been better to start Fermin Lopez from the beginning, but even the best managers need time to experiment and find the right balance.
For now, Barcelona fans should stay composed and take pride in their team’s resilience. The final stretch of the season will require a game-by-game focus.
Everything is still in their hands across all competitions. It’s an exciting place to be, but Hansi Flick’s job is the toughest—he has to make the calls on who plays. Fortunately, he has plenty of good options at his disposal.
But those options need to be placed in the right roles, with the right teammates around them, and in peak physical condition to perform at their best.
There’s a lot to juggle, but Barcelona has shown over the course of the season that they can find solutions when needed, keeping them on track toward success.
For now, they can applaud their opponents for a well-played match and trust in the process they’ve built. It’s time to rest those tired legs because the biggest game of the season is coming up.
Barcelona are back in the Champions League quarterfinals. This is the moment Hansi Flick was brought in for, and his team is ready for it.
