{"id":72448,"date":"2025-03-19T09:31:44","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T23:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/?p=72448"},"modified":"2025-03-19T09:31:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T23:31:44","slug":"barcelonas-new-mentality-is-driving-a-resurgence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/2025\/03\/barcelonas-new-mentality-is-driving-a-resurgence\/","title":{"rendered":"Barcelona&#8217;s New Mentality Is Driving A Resurgence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ten years since last they lifted the Champions League trophy, FC Barcelona are poised for another historic season emblematic of their famous 2009 &amp; 2015 treble-winning campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>After many years, the Blaugrana are once again favourites in the UCL after a wicked downfall that saw them temporarily trade Wednesday nights in the Champions League for Thursday nights in the Europa League.<\/p>\n<p>In the first edition of the new UCL Table format, Hansi Flick\u2019s commanding Catalan side finished second place out of 36 teams.<\/p>\n<p>And for the first time since Luis Enrique\u2019s era and the fabled MSN, Barcelona looks like a team stacked with flair, firepower, and attitude.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This Barcelona trio has a total of 111 G\/A this season \ud83d\ude2e<\/p>\n<p>Unreal numbers \ud83e\udd2f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Hhke0xqxDt\">pic.twitter.com\/Hhke0xqxDt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNFC\/status\/1901679928065589723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>After years of failure, embarrassment, humiliation, and lacklustre football, the soft, empty, and timid Barcelona that crumbled year after year under any elementary pressure now plays with pride, passion, fearlessness and tenacity.<\/p>\n<p>Barcelona are now tournament favourites in a compelling final eight that includes UCL addicts Real Madrid, league leaders Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, and PSG, Arteta\u2019s incredible Gunners\u2019, Unai Emery\u2019s Aston Villa, and last year\u2019s finalists, Borussia Dortmund.<\/p>\n<p>The path for Barcelona is clear: defeat a topsy-turvy Dortmund side in the quarter-finals, overcome either Bayern Munich or Inter Milan in the semi-finals, and then play the biggest game of their lives at the Allianz Arena in June.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The quarter-finals are set \u2705<\/p>\n<p>Sim the knockouts &amp; choose your champions! \ud83d\udc47<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UCLbracket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UCLbracket<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cryptocom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@cryptocom<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChampionsLeague\/status\/1899963058661081162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>With an electrifying attacking trio leading the charge for silverware, Barcelona are currently on top of La Liga with a game in hand over title challengers Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>In the Copa Del Rey, Barcelona will take a 4-4 draw into the second leg of their semi-final against Simeone\u2019s Atletico Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>Victory at the Wanda Metropolitano would see Barca into the Cup Final, where they will face either Real Madrid (who they have already defeated in an epic 5-2 Supercopa De Espana battle in Jeddah) or Real Sociedad.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important not to get carried away, but one thing is certain: the FC Barcelona that fell slowly in disgrace has been reborn again with purpose, promise, and power.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Our 2025:<\/p>\n<p>\u2705 Barbastro<br \/>\u2705 Athletic Club<br \/>\u2705 Real Madrid<br \/>\u2705 Real Betis<br \/>\ud83e\udd1d Getafe<br \/>\u2705 Benfica<br \/>\u2705 Valencia<br \/>\ud83e\udd1d Atalanta<br \/>\u2705 Alav\u00e9s<br \/>\u2705 Valencia<br \/>\u2705 Sevilla<br \/>\u2705 Rayo Vallecano<br \/>\u2705 Las Palmas<br \/>\ud83e\udd1d Atl\u00e9tico Madrid<br \/>\u2705 Real Sociedad<br \/>\u2705 Benfica<br \/>\u2705 Benfica<br \/>\u2705 Atl\u00e9tico Madrid<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FCBarcelona\/status\/1901428794637820336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There is a fragility that has plagued Barcelona for nearly ten years.<\/p>\n<p>Even with Lionel Messi at the helm, the sharp sword of Barca went blunt, and the team that won eight La Liga titles in eleven years suddenly looked like imposters as their best decade ended and the 2020s began.<\/p>\n<p>Barcelona\u2019s famous 6-1 comeback in Paris is a distant memory, and the belittling dominance that they held over Real Madrid in their prime has long since been erased.<\/p>\n<p>After years of heartbreak for the Barcelona loyalists, Hansi Flick has taken the project that Xavi Hernandez started in his brief tenure and created an electrifying group of mentality monsters who simply refuse to back down.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, FC Barcelona bottled a 4-1 lead over AS Roma and were eliminated from the Champions League.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, Liverpool overcame a 3-0 deficit to humble Barcelona in the Semi-Finals of the UCL as Barcelona stood helpless.<\/p>\n<p>An 8-2 humiliation against Bayern Munich in the Champions League was the pinnacle of years of mismanagement at one of football&#8217;s greatest clubs.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">2018: 4-1 lead blown vs. Roma<br \/>2019: 3-0 lead blown vs. Liverpool<br \/>2020: Defeated by Bayern 8-2<br \/>2021: Fail to even qualify for the knockout stage<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s been a rough few years in the UCL for Barcelona. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/b9djWYoBSN\">pic.twitter.com\/b9djWYoBSN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNFC\/status\/1468705291852259335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 8, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>That beautiful era of football and that remarkable generation of home-grown talent was over.<\/p>\n<p>Like a cringy reality TV show or an accident on the motorway, it was impossible to look away.<\/p>\n<p>As things went from bad to worse, Lionel Messi was forced to leave his now unrecognisable club in August 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Two consecutive Europa League campaigns followed, and they didn\u2019t make a dent in either.<\/p>\n<p>The stark contrast between Barcelona and Real Madrid couldn\u2019t be clearer.<\/p>\n<p>Real continued to dominate the UCL, defying logic and lifting five Champions League trophies.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Real Madrid have won \ud835\uddf3\ud835\uddf6\ud835\ude03\ud835\uddf2 Champions League titles since Barcelona last tasted glory. \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>Is this the year Barcelona finally end their drought? \ud83c\udfc6 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oIKdl01SE3\">pic.twitter.com\/oIKdl01SE3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; 90min (@90min_Football) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/90min_Football\/status\/1899749707381121266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>At the same time, Barcelona were getting blown away in the wind as the Europa League sneered at them for visiting.<\/p>\n<p>Xavi Hernandez took over the following season as the club looked to regain their old style and return to the summit of European football.<\/p>\n<p>They won their first La Liga title in four years in Xavi\u2019s first full season, defeating Real Madrid 4-0 to end an agonising run of three years and six matches without an El Classico victory.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, they proved their own worst enemy in Europe again, and an early red card in the second leg against Paris Saint Germain saw them thrashed 4-1 in the second leg of the Quarter Finals in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Hansi Flick took over ahead of the 2024\/25 campaign, and it\u2019s hard to believe we\u2019re looking at the same team.<\/p>\n<p>Time and time again this year, FC Barcelona have proved defiant in the face of adversity and look unbeatable when they\u2019re in full flight.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Down two goals against a team sitting in a low block with only 20 minutes left. Hansi Flick has injected a new mentality into that Barcelona dressing room \ud83d\udcaa <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/J5FSmNyuNx\">pic.twitter.com\/J5FSmNyuNx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNFC\/status\/1901404370987634774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 16, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Their first major challenge under Hansi Flick came against his former side, Bayern Munich.<\/p>\n<p>A side with a psychological edge over the Blaugrana after years of humiliation, Barcelona wasted no time proving they were a team reformed.<\/p>\n<p>60 seconds in, and Ballon d\u2019Or frontrunner Raphina gave Barcelona the lead before scoring a hattrick in a rampant 4-1 victory.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Leo Messi is the only player in Barcelona history with more goals in a single UCL season than Raphinha (11) \ud83d\ude31 <\/p>\n<p>The Brazilian is playing on another level \ud83d\udd25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DaRden4EVY\">pic.twitter.com\/DaRden4EVY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNFC\/status\/1899539652807115008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 11, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Three days later, they faced Real Madrid and shattered the defending champions with a formidable 4-0 statement.<\/p>\n<p>They met again in the Supercopa De Espana Final and decimated Los Blancos 5-2, despite going down to ten men before the hour mark.<\/p>\n<p>A year prior, they might have crumbled under that pressure.<\/p>\n<p>Barcelona fought from 3-1 down against Benfica in the UCL table, scoring two late goals to prevail 5-4.<\/p>\n<p>In the Round of 16, Barcelona went down to ten men inside 30 minutes but managed to defeat Benfica 1-0 away from home.<\/p>\n<p>From a timid side who cracked under any form of pressure, Hansi Flick\u2019s Barcelona stare stone cold in the face of conflict.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">THE BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD FC BARCELONA <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5L9YO1BVnq\">pic.twitter.com\/5L9YO1BVnq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brian (@Bri_an2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Bri_an2\/status\/1901402925311684755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 16, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>After defeating Espanyol in November, Barcelona sat nine points clear at the top of La Liga, but a period of tough form saw them drop 16 potential points across eight games, slipping down to third place and six points beneath first place.<\/p>\n<p>They didn\u2019t panic.<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, they have fought ruthlessly to regain their position at the top, and the best example of their resilience occurred two days ago as they overturned a 2-0 deficit to defeat Diego Simeone\u2019s Atletico Madrid 4-2 away from home.<\/p>\n<p>More often than not, if you find yourself trailing 1-0 to Atletico Madrid, you\u2019ll find yourself losing 1-0 to Atletico Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>Not this Barcelona.<\/p>\n<p>Chasing two goals away from home, Flick\u2019s men struck four times in the final twenty minutes, with Lamine Yamal finding the breakthrough in the 92nd minute.<\/p>\n<p>This victory was critical in keeping Barcelona ahead of this incredible three-horse title race.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We&#39;re in first place. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MSKBRWvh3V\">pic.twitter.com\/MSKBRWvh3V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FCBarcelona\/status\/1901719629673767291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>With a young core of passionate La Masia talent, the strongest front three in Europe, wizardry in midfield, a deadly offside trap, and Wojciech Szcz\u0119sny out of retirement, the new guard at FC Barcelona is fearless and unstoppable.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re looking at a unified group that combines experience with youth, discipline with creativity, experience with belief, and enthusiasm with control.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the start of a new generation in Barcelona, and they\u2019re not backing down from any challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ten years since last they lifted the Champions League trophy, FC Barcelona are poised for another historic season emblematic of their famous 2009 &amp; 2015 treble-winning campaigns. After many years, the Blaugrana are once again favourites in the UCL after a wicked downfall that saw them temporarily trade Wednesday nights in the Champions League for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":72449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9440,8,598,344],"tags":[1463,173,9472,23],"hub_post_cat":[8162],"class_list":["post-72448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football-unpopular-opinions","category-soccer","category-special-interest","category-sports","tag-barcelona","tag-football","tag-football-unpopular-opinions","tag-soccer"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":null,"md_tip_date_end":null,"md_market_url":"","tip_date":"19\/03\/2025","event_country":"Australia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72448"},{"taxonomy":"hub_post_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub_post_cat?post=72448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}