When trying to win a treble, it’s important for a team to be able to pick up points when they aren’t at their best, and that’s just what Barcelona did in a 4-3 victory over Celta Vigo on Saturday. Goals from Raphinha and Dani Olmo helped turn around what was a 3-1 deficit in the 62nd minute of play for Hansi Flick’s men to secure all three points.
It has been an emotional week for Barcelona after booking their place in the Champions League semifinals after getting past Borussia Dortmund, but the matches won’t stop anytime soon. During the week, Flick called out schedule congestion, saying, “Every league protects their clubs when they play in the Champions League. We have no time to rest.” Just during April, Barcelona will have three games remaining with a league match versus Mallorca, the Copa Del Rey final versus Real Madrid, and the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, where they’ll face Inter beginning at the end of the month (you can watch Barca vs. Inter on Paramount+).
These aren’t games where Barcelona will be able to rotate much with trophies and matches with high stakes upcoming, and even this clash showed why. Flick tried to rest players like Lamine Yamal and Gavi, which led to Barcelona allowing a hat trick to Borja Iglesias, giving them quite a deficit to work out of.
It didn’t take long after players like Yamal and Olmo entered the match for them to make an impact, as Olmo scored only five minutes after his introduction, before Yamal assisted a Raphinha goal only four minutes later. The Barcelona attack was back to what was expected, and eventually, Raphinha was able to convert a penalty in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time of play for Barcelona to claim all three points.
In the Brazilian’s epic season so far, this now brings him to 28 goals and 20 assists in all competitions for Barcelona. He’s been a true Ballon d’Or contender and is leading this side back to the upper reaches of La Liga as they’ve now gone seven points clear of Real Madrid atop the table for now.
It wasn’t all smiles for Barcelona with striker Robert Lewandowski being subbed out of the match due to muscle discomfort. He’ll be assessed, but with so many matches upcoming, Barcelona can’t afford for Lewandowski to miss much time. The Polish striker has scored 40 goals and assisted three more for Barcelona in all competitions this season, his best return since his 2021-22 season, where he netted 50 in all competitions for Bayern Munich. With Lewandowski as a focal point, Flick has been able to create an attack that can drive fear into any team in the world, which is why Barcelona are in the running for a treble.
Next up in that quest will be a Clasico facing Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final on April 26, and if Lewandowski can’t make that match, it will be quite a loss for the team. Real Madrid have been out of sorts, getting thrashed in Champions League play by Arsenal, but in rivalry matches, form goes out the window, especially when a trophy is on the line.
Flick has been able to push the right buttons so far this season, but he’ll need to continue doing so as Barcelona can’t afford to slip up during these coming matches. It’s always a challenge to win a treble, but with fixture congestion for players around the world growing by the season, it becomes a harder feat each time it’s done. Barca has it in their sights, and the first real step is next Saturday against Los Blancos.
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