What’s going wrong for Hansi Flick and Barcelona?

Barcelona’s January has veered from bad to worse, and the Camp Nou hierarchy now face uncomfortable questions about the direction being steered by head coach Hansi Flick. Back-to-back defeats in the Copa del Rey and La Liga have amplified scrutiny on the German, with supporters and, reportedly, sections of the dressing room asking whether tactical recalibration is overdue.

The tipping point arrived last week in the Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano. A 4-2 reverse against Atlético Madrid was bruising enough, yet the narrative was dominated by an eight-minute VAR intervention that ended with teenager Pau Cubarsí’s equaliser controversially ruled out. Barcelona must overhaul a two-goal deficit in the return leg, but the fallout has centred on more than officiating: defensive lapses and a blunt second-half display fed a sense of systemic malfunction.

Monday’s league visit of Girona was billed as the perfect platform for a statement riposte. Instead, it delivered fresh frustration. Despite monopolising possession and fashioning a string of first-half chances, Barça trailed at the interval and never recovered, slumping to a 2-1 loss that leaves them adrift in the title race. The decisive goal deepened conspiracy theories among supporters: Fran Beltrán bundled home after referee Jesús Gil Manzano allowed play to continue despite Jules Koundé appearing to be fouled in the build-up. Flick’s animated protests on the touchline went unanswered, and the German later voiced public dissatisfaction with his team’s “lack of aggression and precision”.

Privately, disquiet had already surfaced. Sources briefed before kick-off claimed senior players urged the coaching staff to tweak the high-octane pressing scheme that has characterised Flick’s opening months, arguing that fatigue and injuries have blunted its effectiveness. Yet the XI selected against Girona suggested few concessions; the front line continued to press manically, while the midfield lacked the vertical thrust required to disassemble Girona’s low block. The result was a familiar cocktail of sterile domination and counter-attacking vulnerability.

So, what exactly is malfunctioning? Fatigue is an obvious culprit: a spate of muscular injuries has forced Flick into continuous rotation, diluting on-field cohesion. Tactics are another flashpoint. The full-backs are being asked to push simultaneously, leaving space behind that opponents have exploited with relish, while the midfield double-pivot has struggled to shield an injury-ravaged back four. Add a profligate attack—Robert Lewandowski has gone three games without a goal—and the issues multiply.

Solutions are less clear-cut. Flick could compromise on his gegenpressing ideals, ceding territory to preserve energy, but that risks neutering the very identity he was hired to restore. Alternatively, the club could accelerate winter recruitment, yet Financial Fair Play constraints loom large. A third avenue involves entrusting youth: Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal and Fermín López have shown fearlessness, but over-reliance on teenagers in a title chase is fraught with peril.

The next fortnight will be decisive. The Copa second leg against Atlético offers both redemption and the looming spectre of elimination, while league fixtures against mid-table opposition must yield maximum points if Barça are to keep pace with the pacesetters. Flick insists he “has the squad to compete on all fronts”; the coming games will reveal whether rhetoric translates into reality.

For a club that measures success in trophies rather than moral victories, the clock is already ticking on Barcelona’s season—and, perhaps, on the patience of a fanbase that demands instant resurgence. The German coach has restored swagger in bursts, yet unless the defensive leaks are plugged and chances converted, the narrative will shift from revival to regression. As the club contemplates preparations for next season, the most pressing question is whether Flick’s project can survive the remainder of this one.