Real Sociedad’s Anoeta Stadium proved to be a formidable fortress once again, as Barcelona succumbed to a 1-0 defeat on Sunday.
Flick’s side were outplayed by a Real Sociedad team that delivered an outstanding performance and created numerous chances for a resounding victory.
In contrast, the Blaugrana had one of their worst nights, barely posing a threat except for a few isolated instances. For the first time this season, Barcelona failed to find the back of the net and for the first time in 10 seasons Barca failed to register a single shot on target.
The Catalan giants’ struggles were compounded by the late injury withdrawal of instrumental attacker Lamine Yamal, whose absence severely impacted the team’s creativity.
The 17-year-old attacker was ruled out before the match due to an injury, despite having traveled to San Sebastian with the rest of the Barcelona squad.
The defeat on Sunday marks Flick’s second defeat this season in La Liga with the first occurring on matchday eight against Osasuna, who triumphed with a convincing 4-2 victory. And, interestingly, both defeats against Real Sociedad and Osasuna were the only matches where Yamal was not included in Flick’s starting eleven.
This shows clearly Barcelona are not the same without the teenage sensation.
Hansi Flick’s post-match assessment acknowledged the significance of Yamal’s absence: “Of course, Lamine’s absence is an influence on the result. It was not our day. We didn’t have any clear chances to score and we made bad decisions in the final third.”
Lamine Yamal’s impressive start to the season, with five goals and seven assists in 12 La Liga games, has made him an indispensable cog in Barcelona’s machine. His creativity and vision were sorely missed against Real Sociedad.
Without Yamal, Barcelona’s attack lack cohesion, struggling to break down Sociedad’s well-organized defense. The usually clinical Lewandowski was isolated, and the supporting cast failed to provide meaningful service.
With Yamal set to miss out on Spain’s UEFA Nations League matches against Denmark and Switzerland, Barcelona would be hoping to count on the services of the teenager after the international window as their quest for a 28th La Liga trophy and 6th Champions League title continues.
