Three takeaways for Hansi Flick from Monaco 2-1 Barcelona | UEFA Champions League

Barcelona’s winning streak was finally broken on Thursday night at Stade Louis II against AS Monaco. Having beaten the Blaugrana in the Joan Gamper Trophy in pre-season, the French giants emerged victorious again, securing a 2-1 win.

An early red card for Eric Garcia left the Blaugrana with a steep challenge as early as the tenth minute of the night and the hosts needed just six minutes after that to open the scoring via Maghnes Akliouche.

Hope returned when Lamine Yamal wonderfully struck the ball into the back of the net from distance in the 28th minute, gifting his side a way back into the game.

However, the gap between the two sides only increased in the second half as Barcelona tired and the extra-man eventually paid off for the hosts when they capitalised on a counter-attack via George Ilenikhena.

Barça Universal brings you three takeaways for Hansi Flick from the team’s first official defeat of the season.

One player bears heavy

Not so long ago, Barcelona fans were blaming their exit from the UEFA Champions League on a certain Ronald Araujo.

The Uruguayan took a rash decision of jumping into an unnecessary tackle in the second leg of the quarterfinal against PSG and left the team with ten men defending against 11 hungry wolves.

Last night, ironically, was the team’s first UCL game since the aforementioned debacle and it saw a worse incident unfold that mirrored the situation.

Unlike last year when Araujo had himself sent off, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s baffling pass straight into an Eric Garcia under pressure saw the Spaniard collapse and earn a straight red card.

The German’s mistake was simply unforgivable for he was not in any situation under pressure with no other passing outlets. Ter Stegen had free players to both sides and still opted for the worst pass possible, sending the team to a numerical disadvantage.

Garcia’s sending off in the 10th minute left the Catalans stranded for most of the game and they struggled to cover the field and take control at any point in the game.

Moreover, it destabilised the midfield and created a disconnect between the middle of the park and the forward three as Pedri, the attacking midfielder, was forced to play deeper.

Apart from his horrendous decision that saw Garcia sent off, the German shot-stopper had a very poor day in goal. He may have made six saves statistically but he let in two goals that should not have been conceded by an elite goalkeeper.

For Monaco’s opener, Ter Stegen was still as a rock as the ball flashed past him into the back of the net and made no effort to even move in its direction. The second goal was worse as the shot was fired straight at him and he still failed to deflect it out.

Add to that the moment where he almost punched the ball into his own net and it is clear why Barcelona lost on Thursday night.

Yamal’s saga begins

The red card turned the tide of the game against Barcelona very early on and left the team scampering for the better part of the 90 minutes. Yet, Lamine Yamal managed to have his moment and in some style.

Controlling a lofted ball from Marc Casado perfectly midway through the first half, the youngster carried the ball forward, cut in and struck the ball wonderfully beyond the reach of Philipp Kohn and into the corner.

The numerical disadvantage meant that he could not be as effective on the counter-attack as he simply had no support, but Yamal once again made a statement of why he is the most in-form winger in world football.

Moreover, his goal on the night was his first even in the UEFA Champions League, marking a special beginning and making him just the second youngest goalscorer for Barcelona in the competition after Ansu Fati.

Hansi Flick admitted after the game that his decision to take the youngster off was in view of Sunday’s game and it was, by far, the right decision on his part for last night’s game was a hopeless cause.

Time for a mental reset

Having started the league with a perfect record after five games, many expected Barcelona’s start to the UEFA Champions League to run a similar path.

After all, the Blaugrana have been ruthless in attack in recent weeks and had scored 11 goals in their last two games before AS Monaco.

Had it not been for the red card, Barcelona may well have taken the three points despite the pressure from the hosts and thus recorded the right start to the UCL. As things turned out, they now begin with a defeat.

The onus now falls on Hansi Flick to keep the mood in the dressing room high despite the setback and ensure that his side enter the field at the weekend with the right spirits. After all, Thursday’s setback was not down to a collective failure but an individual blunder.

What the team need right now is a quick reset mentally so as to return to the field stronger and with the same momentum they had before kickoff. These are early days and they have a lot of time to turn matters around in Europe.