"Barcelona's heavy defeat against Atletico Madrid did not come out of nowhere. In many ways, it felt like the natural result of a pattern that has been building for weeks. The team had already shown signs of vulnerability in the opening stages of matches, but they had often managed to escape thanks to strong second-half reactions. Against Atletico Madrid, however, there was no way back after the damage done in the first 45 minutes."
"As such, the numbers from 2026 paint a worrying picture. Barcelona have already played 12 matches across four competitions, and out of those games, they have gone into halftime with a lead only three times. Those positive first halves came against Athletic Club in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, where they were already 4-0 up by the break, against Mallorca in La Liga, and in the Copa del Rey tie against Albacete. In each of those cases, Barcelona controlled the match early and finished strongly."
"The real problem appears when Barcelona fall behind before the break. That has happened three times in 2026, and only once did they manage to turn the game around. The comeback came in the Champions League against Copenhagen, where they recovered from a 0-1 deficit to win 4-1 and secure qualification for the round of 16. Against Real Sociedad, though, they conceded early, equalised, but lost control again almost immediately and ended up empty-handed."
Barcelona exhibited a clear pattern of early weakness in 2026, often conceding or failing to secure a halftime lead. Across 12 matches in four competitions, Barcelona led at halftime only three times, in wins over Athletic Club (4-0 at the break), Mallorca, and Albacete. Six matches were level at halftime, where Barcelona generally improved after the break to secure favorable outcomes. When Barcelona trailed at halftime, results worsened: that occurred three times, with a single comeback against Copenhagen (from 0-1 to 4-1). Conceding four first-half goals at the Metropolitano highlighted the danger, as halftime damage proved decisive despite second-half improvement.
Read at Barca Universal
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