Another season, the same old Barcelona defensive problems

Barcelona and the ghosts of the UEFA Champions League are nothing new. It has been over a decade since the Blaugrana last lifted the trophy. Financial troubles, the post-Lionel Messi era and poor transfer decisions have all contributed to that. Things had finally started to look up under Hansi Flick, but their latest defeats to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Real Madrid in El Clasico have brought back familiar concerns.

The 2-4 loss to PSG and then a nervy 1-2 defeat to Real Madrid exposed vulnerabilities that continue to hold them back on big occasions. The attacking football associated with Barcelona is back under Flick. But the high defensive line has to complement that. That is where Barcelona are falling short.

The Catalan giants have already made their mark in domestic competitions, winning back-to-back league titles over the last two seasons and a treble in one of them. But, it is the Champions League trophy they desperately want to bring back to Camp Nou.

Barcelona had a fine chance to end their Champions League drought in 2024-25, but Inter Milan shattered their dream in a two-legged semi-final that ended 7-6 on aggregate. Barcelona drew the first leg 3-3 at home before heading to San Siro. Defensive lapses late in the game proved costly in what was arguably the biggest match of their season. Francesco Acerbi (90+3') and Davide Frattesi (99') struck late to break Barcelona hearts. Both goals exposed Barcelona's defensive frailties: Ronald Araujo's poor positioning allowing Acerbi a clean shot at goal before Araujo and Pau Cubarsi failed to deal with the sustained pressure from Inter's forwards in the build-up to Frattesi's winner.

Their last UCL run ended in the quarter-finals following a 2-3 aggregate loss to Atletico Madrid. It was the defence that again proved to be the weak link. Cubarsi was sent off in the first leg and Eric Garcia saw red in the second.

Since then, Cubarsi has developed into a solid centre-back, with an extraordinary World Cup campaign adding to his growing reputation. But Barcelona cannot expect him to do it all alone. Cubarsi needs an experienced partner. What has happened instead is that Ronald Araujo has been loaned to Liverpool, leaving Garcia and Andreas Christensen as their other options.

Garcia showed promise at the beginning of the season but picked up an injury prior to the game against PSG. Christensen has been injury prone since his arrival. His latest injury has again exposed Barcelona's lack of depth in defense and they were forced to turn to Gerard Martin as left centre-back against PSG and Real Madrid.

Martin did reasonably well against PSG. But he was also playing with the fear of aggravating his injury, and Barcelona's defence fell apart in the closing stages. The Clasico brought another reminder of their problems, as Martin's poor clearance led to Kylian Mbappe's opening goal.

Barcelona have plenty of quality in midfield in Pedri, Rodri, Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez and Gavi. Their defence, however, lacks both depth and experience.

They have been linked with Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni over the past couple of transfer windows, but a move has yet to materialise. Perhaps it is time to revisit that plan and bring in a player who can give the backline the experience and stability it desperately needs.