Welcome to the latest edition of Inside Barcelona, our weekly series to follow throughout the 2025-26 La Liga season.
Every week, we will bring you information and analysis on the biggest talking points, cutting through the noisy world of all things Barca with reporting you can trust.
What’s the biggest talking point at Barcelona right now?
Barca won their fourth consecutive game in La Liga on Saturday and are top of the table after Real Madrid’s draw at Girona on Sunday night. Despite that, spirits are not high at the club.
After beating Alaves 3-1, images broadcast by DAZN of Hansi Flick slumped on the bench captured the moment the Catalans are going through. The German manager appeared completely dejected following the final whistle in a game Barca won without a convincing performance.
Raphinha went over to console him, leaning in close to speak with the 60-year-old. Flick’s expression did not improve at all — he shook his head slightly in reaction and kept his gaze fixed, steadfastly staring into the middle distance.
“We don’t have the control or intensity that we had last season,” Flick said in his post-match press conference.
“Someone said that last season we had the same number of points as we do now. I don’t care, that was last season and I have to focus on this one. We have to improve a little, or a lot, and we can do it.
“We have to improve and we’re working on it.”
Not everything is about winning at Barca — and Flick knows it. It is the way the team behaves and performs that dictates the mood around the club, and is considered a sign of whether the team can seriously compete or not. Right now, Barca are far from the levels of dominance they showed last season.
Have Barcelona really been that bad?
After a season start marked by uncertainty and numerous injuries, this time last week, the mood around the team was much more positive, having finally put together a decent run. Then they lost 3-0 at Chelsea in the Champions League.
The game at Stamford Bridge put Barcelona in front of a mirror. It is hard to make a case for them being among the best teams in Europe. The expectation among fans and the coaching staff was that now the team would respond and show improvement. The Alaves match did not provide it.
Barca conceded a goal in the first minute, but came back thanks to great performances from goalkeeper Joan Garcia, and forwards Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. Dani Olmo’s 93rd-minute goal added gloss to the victory.
Garcia made two great saves to deny Alaves at crucial moments. Doubts remain about the defence and midfield, although Olmo, who Flick said was not going through a good spell, made amends with two goals.
Barca were not incisive enough in possession, and the midfield struggled to maintain the control the team aspires to have. An explanation might be that Frenkie de Jong missed the game at the last minute, and academy graduates Marc Bernal and Marc Casado started together, not having done that since August last year.
In defence, Alaves dismantled Barca on multiple occasions.
Flick’s team also needs to be more clinical. Last season’s front line was a ruthless machine. On Saturday, we saw Yamal missing what was almost an open goal. Going back to Chelsea, there was also Ferran Torres’ miss in the starting minutes of the game. This is something Barca really need to improve on.
The best news for Barca at the moment is that Real Madrid have problems of their own. Xabi Alonso’s side were the victors in El Clasico, going five points clear with a 2-1 win on October 26. Now, Barca lead them by a point — and Madrid are without a La Liga win since November 1.
What’s going on with Ronald Araujo?
Ronald Araujo missed the match against Alaves as he could not train in the build-up due to a viral infection.
The illness came at a bad time for the defender. His sending off at Chelsea added another unfortunate image to his Champions League record.
In the 2023-24 season, against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the quarter-finals, he was sent off for bringing down Bradley Barcola in an action that then-team-mate Ilkay Gundogan publicly criticised. Last term, in the second leg of the semi-final against Inter Milan, he was caught out for the third goal in a 4-3 defeat that knocked Barca out.
All these mistakes are taking a toll on how fans see his place at the club.
Araujo was sent off at Stamford Bridge (Pedro Salado/Getty Images)
How can Barca move from here? It is not an easy solution. Those who would advocate for an Araujo sale also have to bear in mind that he extended his contract in January. He had a salary upgrade and his deal now runs until 2031. His market value might be now at one of its lowest points in recent years, and it’s difficult to envisage an elite club coming in with a big offer for him and being able to match his wages.
But dressing-room sources also highlight how important it is for the 26-year-old to feel valuable inside a team, which might push the player to find this elsewhere, if it’s not possible at the Camp Nou.
After Inigo Martinez’s departure, this season looked like it would be the perfect opportunity for an Araujo revival. It has not happened — so next summer he will be a case to follow very closely.
In the shorter term, it looks like Araujo will also miss Tuesday’s visit of Atletico Madrid.
“Araujo is not ready,” Flick said at his pre-match press conference on Monday. “It is a private situation. I don’t want to say more. And please, if you can respect it I’d appreciate it.”
What else did we learn from Saturday’s game?
The biggest thing was the positive impact of Raphinha. The Brazilian returned from his hamstring injury with nine minutes from the bench last weekend and came on against Chelsea in midweek. He started on Saturday and played for an hour, because that was what had been agreed.
The difference his energy and pressing makes, over what Marcus Rashford brings in the same left-wing position, is significant. He got the team flowing in attack and provided the assists for Yamal’s equaliser and Olmo’s first goal. He gave the team energy and solutions when they were disorganised.
Gerard Martin deserves a special mention, too. The left-back might be among the most unsung of the many talents to have come through La Masia in recent years. Flick used him as a left-sided centre-back for a second game in a row in La Liga — and his display was more than decent.
Martin looks likely to play against Atletico (Javier Borrego/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Martin, 23, can be expected to continue in this role, based on what Flick said after the Alaves game: “Having a left-footed player in this position gives us a lot of things. I am very happy to have him. With his attitude, the way he improves, the mentality… he is so professional.”
The other big news for Barcelona fans was that Pedri returned from his hamstring injury. The 23-year-old came on for Raphinha to a standing ovation, with supporters recognising possibly their most important player.
What might we have missed? What should we look out for?
The Alaves game was Barca’s second game back at the Camp Nou. A couple of hours before the match, the app that holds tickets for fans suffered a glitch. Roughly 7,500 supporters were affected and there were long queues outside the stadium.
The club sought solutions, sending an email with tickets to those who had purchased them, although not everyone received it. For those who did not, they set up an access point where staff were instructed to let in anyone who could provide proof of having purchased tickets, even if they did not have the required QR code.
The large number of people affected and short time remaining before kick-off meant the match started without everyone inside. Many only entered 10 minutes before the game began. Barca asked La Liga to delay the kick-off, but the request was not granted.
Barca play again on Tuesday, and it is going to be a big one. Atletico, La Liga’s most in-form team with six consecutive wins, visit the Camp Nou. This is a game that has been brought forward for the clubs’ participation in the Supercopa de Espana in Saudi Arabia in January.
De Jong should be back in contention, but it looks like Araujo will be absent.