FC Barcelona were able to only get a draw in their last night’s game against Atalanta, but despite this imperfect ending to the League Phase of the newly formatted UEFA Champions League, there is no doubt that the Catalans’ campaign in Europe has been very encouraging up to now.
The Blaugranes finished second in the league table and could have ended the first phase at the top spot if they had gotten the full three points against Atalanta. As things stand, Liverpool were the team with the highest number of points in this League Phase.
One aspect in which Barcelona were the best even in this phase was the attack, as they were the top-scorers in the competition in these first 8 games, having scored 28 goals with a whopping average of 3.5 goals per game.
However, as Mundo Deportivo has noted, the Catalans have also shown significant weakness in another area of the team, i.e., defense, as they conceded 13 goals in the League Phase, which is also the highest among the top eight teams.
Barcelona were able to keep a clean sheet in only 2 of the 8 games they played, i.e., against Brest and Young Boys, playing both of them at the Montjuic. Monaco, Red Star Belgrade, Borussia Dortmund, and Atalanta all scored two goals past them, while Benfica scored four.
Other teams that were able to advance directly to the Round of 16 have shown much more defensive solidity. This is especially the case with Inter Milan, who conceded just 1 goal in these 8 games, and Arsenal, who conceded 3 goals, 10 less than FC Barcelona.
Thus, Hansi Flick will have to work on this area of the team to ensure it does not end up costing them as they enter the knock-out rounds of the competition.