Barcelona manager, Hansi Flick
GhanaWeb Feature by Benjamin Sackey
The sporting fraternity, football fans, and lovers of the game were in awe of the neck-to-neck performance between Barcelona and Inter Milan, which produced a seven-goal thriller at the San Siro on April 6, 2025.
Barcelona suffered a huge backlash on social media from some football fans after losing to Inter Milan 4-3.
Lautaro Martinez, Hakan Calhanoglu, Francesco Acerbi, and Davide Frattesi scored for Inter Milan, despite the Blaugrana’s strong comeback in the second half.
Three goals from Dani Olmo, Eric Garcia, and Raphinha were not enough, as they trailed Inter Milan 4-3 at the end of the game. The Serie A side qualified on a 7-6 aggregate score.
There were issues with substitutions, technical team indiscipline, and tactical frailties that jeopardised the Blaugrana’s chances of securing qualification to the final.
This GhanaWeb Sports feature throws light on the factors that contributed to Barcelona’s defeat against Inter Milan
Ronald Araújo’s defensive lapses
Barcelona’s head coach, Hansi Flick’s decision to introduce Uruguayan defender Ronald Araújo into the game cost his side, as he couldn’t provide solidity to the defense.
He couldn’t get tight enough to Acerbi to stop him from equalising by blocking the ball from entering the net when he had closely marked the player.
Araújo was also beaten by Marcus Thuram in the build-up to Inter’s fourth goal, earning him a 4/10 match rating.
Robert Lewandowski’s dormancy
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski didn’t make any meaningful impact after being substituted on in the dying embers of the match.
The player, who was returning from injury, hardly touched the ball as Barca were in search of an equaliser and wasn’t tracking back to aid the defense.
He missed a headed chance in extra time with a rare opening after failing to make a timely run.
He received a disappointing 5/10 match rating.
Tactical approach
Hansi Flick’s high defensive line seemed to have been dealt a heavy blow, as Inter Milan appeared to have capitalised on their all-attack approach to punish the club.
The 4-3-3 formation with Cubarsi, Martin, Iñigo Martinez, and Eric Garcia in defense sometimes left their backs exposed when some players joined the attack.
The defensive high line refers to a tactical approach where a team’s defensive line maintains a position closer to the opponent’s goal rather than retreating deep into their own half.
Some of Inter’s goals were scored during counter-attacks when their backline had surged forward and was unable to make a timely recovery.
In a game where the Italian side are quite lethal in attack, Flick was expected to pull back the defense but failed to do so, leading to Inter’s third goal to level the scores.
Technical bench ‘indiscipline’
The Barcelona technical bench couldn’t comport themselves, as they complained about the refereeing decisions to the officials following Inter’s third equalising goal.
This led to Flick and other members of the bench being booked for misconduct.
Dani Olmo and Pedri’s substitutions
Dani Olmo, who had scored a header, was playing a crucial role in controlling and winning duels in the midfield but was substituted off in the 90th minute for Fermín López to take over. López failed to replicate his teammate’s performance, affecting their play.
In extra time, Pedri, who was dictating the midfield and stringing passes, was also substituted off for Gavi to play.
This decision didn’t pay off, as Inter gained more control in the midfield. Flick’s choice of substitution dented their hopes of winning the game.
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