Barcelona, led by Hansi Flick, faced Mallorca on Tuesday in an attempt to take one of the last bites out of LaLiga. The Catalans are in first place, four points ahead of their closest rival, Real Madrid. With only five games left in the season, the Blaugranas are coming off a 4-3 win in a tough match against Celta Vigo. And against Mallorca, things got tough, as the goal was slow in coming.
Mallorca proved to be a stumbling block for FC Barcelona
Hansi Flick’s side could not afford to make any mistakes if they wanted to maintain their lead and continue to aspire to the three titles they are competing for this season: after qualifying for the Champions League semi-finals, following their victory over Borussia Dortmund, and the Copa del Rey final, which will be played this Saturday, April 26, in Seville. Therefore, Flick’s men will have to give their all this week. And the first hurdle was Mallorca, who put up significant obstacles from the start.
From the outset, FC Barcelona faced the match with several absences, including the long-term injuries to Marc Bernal, Ter Stegen, and Marc Casadó. In addition, Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski, who were injured in recent days, will be out for several weeks. The Polish player’s absence was particularly noticeable, as the Azulgranas felt the lack of his goal-scoring ability. The surprise in the starting lineup was Ansu Fati, who started the game.
And that was evident from the start of the match. The Blaugranas found themselves fighting an uphill battle to score against Leo Román, who, although he had a lot of work to do, with 24 shots from the Culés, Mallorca’s defense was very well positioned at all times to ensure that Raíllo, Copete, and company were able to keep the ball out of their net.
In fact, Leo Román made several saves that at times saved Arrasate’s side, who, although not playing badly, were at the mercy of FC Barcelona’s attack, which grew stronger as the minutes passed, looking to score a goal. But that did not come in the first half.
The level of pressure exerted by the Catalans on Leo Román’s goal was such that Barça set a new LaLiga offensive record: at least since the 2003/2004 season, there had never been a first half in the competition with so many shots. The previous record was held by Sporting de Gijón with 22 shots in a match against Racing de Santander.
Szczesny had less work to do but had moments of intensity, clearing balls like Mojica’s on several occasions. However, it was Hansi Flick’s FC Barcelona that kept possession and put the most pressure on the opposition’s goal, something that also began to be noticeable in the second half.
Culés dominate in the second half
All the luck they had lacked in the first half came back at the start of the second, in the 46th minute. It was Dani Olmo who scored the first goal of the night after trying many times in the first 45 minutes.
Dani Olmo was once again the star of the show for his team after playing as he pleased. The Spaniard was once again the teacher in the box, showing the world that he remains a huge asset to Hansi Flick’s Barça.
From then on, FC Barcelona had achieved the most difficult task. Once again, it was Olmo, who has been playing at a very high level. Eric García’s great pass was also noteworthy, as he is performing very well in Koundé’s absence. At the same time, as the minutes passed, Mallorca opted for the same strategy as in the first half, holding on at the back as best they could until they could win back possession and give themselves some breathing space.
FC Barcelona’s fatigue was evident in the final stages.
Ansu Fati also had a very good game, one of the surprises of the match, coming on after complaining bitterly last Saturday against Celta for not having played a single minute against the Vigo side. Today, however, Ansu Fati took advantage of the opportunity and the moment Flick gave him, playing well and finding himself in the right place for every move that came his way, which was quite a few, in fact.
During the second half, we saw perfectly the style that the German coach has been trying to instill throughout the season: passing the ball, first touch, dynamism, patience, opportunities, energy…
One of the few scares for Szczesny’s goal came from Mojica, one of Mallorca’s most effective players. Mojica delivered a great cross from a free kick on the wing, which Raillo headed just wide.
Little by little, the intensity of the home side dropped, while Arrasate’s visitors began to take advantage of any counterattacks they had. This happened with two consecutive plays that gave them the chance to get closer to the goal. It is true that they did not shoot on goal, but they were lurking around the opposition’s area.
Fatigue was setting in and it was becoming increasingly noticeable. Even the shots were becoming more dangerous and were flying closer and closer to Szczesny’s hands. One of the most disconcerting moments came when Flick considered changes that were not necessarily the most obvious ones, but he did not hesitate and put his faith in Pau Víctor, who moved up front after the substitutions of Olmo and Ansu Fati.
Little by little, the feeling returned to FC Barcelona, who had allowed Mallorca to regain control of the game. In any case, there were still chances for Fermín and Raphinha, the last blows from a Barça side that thought they had the three points in the bag, pausing the game to secure a hard-fought victory that could be worth its weight in gold: Flick’s side are now seven points behind Real Madrid until they play their game in Getafe on Wednesday.