Hansi Flick's honeymoon is over: How Barcelona's bubble has burst as La Liga lead over Real Madrid evaporates amid winless run

Flick's Barcelona play a dangerous game. An incredibly high line allows them to put opponents under serious pressure, but it also leaves them vulnerable to the well-timed counter-attacks on account of the acres of space they leave in behind their backline. As far as Flick is concerned, though, the risk is very much worth the reward. The Clasico was a case in point.

Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged beforehand that Barca's high line was a problem that he needed to solve. He said he had a plan in mind but, whatever it was, it clearly didn't work, as Madrid simply couldn't cope with the Catalans and Flick's forwards ran riot as a result, with the revitalised Robert Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha all on target.

Flick had successfully squeezed the life out of the reigning European and Spanish champions, and it was even reported afterwards that he had told his players during the interval, "Anyone who drops back a metre, I'll substitute them!"

However, while his tactics definitely worked a treat, the final scoreline unquestionably flattered the visitors. Their performance was impressive and their victory fully deserved but, lest anyone forget, Madrid created plenty of chances (their xG was 1.48 to Barca's 2.58) and it would have been a very different game had Kylian Mbappe been capable of timing a run.

And what we're starting to see in recent weeks is what happens when Barca's pressing and high line malfunction.

Barca were only beaten 1-0 by Real Sociedad on November 10 and they were undeniably robbed of a legitimate goal by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) - but even the controversy surrounding an erroneous offside call on Lewandowski couldn't disguise the abject nature of the Blaugrana's performance at the Anoeta.

It was a similar story in their following Liga outing, against Celta Vigo. Barca were held to a 2-2 draw after conceding twice in the final six minutes following the dismissal of Marc Casado, but Flick was the first to admit that they'd been awful all evening.

"It wasn't just the last 10 minutes," the German told reporters. "It was the whole match. We played a really bad game. We have to be honest. We made a lot of mistakes, also in the first half, and we weren't confident with the ball. We didn't play the football we're used to. We were lucky with some situations and in the end we got a point and we have to react because it can't be repeated.

"These are things that can happen but we have to look forward. The least bad thing is that it's only one match and we got a point, but we're not happy and neither are the players. Everyone can play better than today."

The problem is that very few have in the past couple of games and Barca have seen a massive lead in La Liga almost completely wiped out.

In fairness to Barca, they really should have beaten Las Palmas on Saturday. As Flick pointed out, they created more than enough chances to do so: "We had 70 percent possession and 27 shots." On another day, they could have won handily - instead of losing 2-1 at home to a team that hadn't beaten Barca away from home for 53 years.

However, the Las Palmas loss isn't being dismissed as nothing more than a freak result, given it's hardly happened in a vacuum. Barca have now dropped eight points in their last three games and tough questions are now being asked of a team that is experiencing its first poor run of form under Flick.

"We’re lowering the level of what we were doing," captain Raphinha confessed to TV3 after seeing his equaliser on Saturday fail to prove the catalyst for a much-needed come-from-behind win. "There are many things we are doing wrong.

"I’m angry. I don’t care much about my goal, I only cared about the victory and we didn't win, so I'm not satisfied."

Flick is in no doubt that Barca can turn things around, though, starting with Tuesday's tricky trip to Mallorca. "I believe in the players," he said. "I have faith in them."

The former Bayern Munich boss also denied that the squad is suddenly suffering from some sort of collective crisis of confidence. However, Flick did not dispute allegations that his team is no longer exhibiting anything like the same intensity and cohesion as before. At a time when Barca should be improving as a number of key men return from injury, they're actually looking increasingly disjointed.

"When I started here I already told them that there would be no excuses," the German said. "It is normal that some players when they return from injury are not at their highest level, but if we play as a team we should be able to beat anyone. But if some players are disconnected, it will not go well.

"The defence is not just about the four players at the back. Players alone cannot win games. It’s always about the team. We need to have good connections in defence and attack. We have to change, we have to defend better. We have to go back and reconnect." And sooner rather than the later.

It certainly doesn't bode well for Barca that Madrid are only one point off top spot - having played one game fewer - despite all sorts of issues with injuries and integrating Mbappe into a double-winning team. If Ancelotti's Galacticos eventually click, that spells trouble for everyone else in La Liga. However, it's also worth noting that Atletico Madrid have emerged as a major title contender. Diego Simeone's side have won their last four games while conceding only once and the resurgent Rojiblancos are now just two points behind Barca.

Of course, Flick will be focused on his team rather than the twin threat from Madrid - and a worrying dependence on Yamal. The winger is quite clearly a generational talent - he proved that at the Euros - but he's still only 17 and his game time will need to be carefully managed, so it's not a good sign at all that Barca have failed to win any of the four league matches he's not started this season.

As well as contributing a Liga-high seven assists, Yamal is also Barca's most dangerous dribbler by some distance and they just do not carry anything like the same attacking threat without him on the pitch.

It's just as well, then, that Spain's star of Euro 2024 made his return from injury against Las Palmas ahead of a crucial run of fixtures for Barca before the winter break. As well as travelling to sixth-placed Mallorca this week, Barca must also tackle Real Betis in Seville. Leganes at home on December 15 should be a far more straightforward affair (though we thought the same ahead of the Las Palmas defeat!), but the Blaugrana will need everyone at their best against Atletico on December 21.

The good news, though, is that the likes of Gavi, who has only just returned to the starting line-up after injury, and Frenkie de Jong should have a lot more game time under their belts by then, while Dani Olmo will hopefully manage to put his niggling knocks behind him in the coming weeks.

The news that star centre-back Ronald Araujo is closing in on a return to first-team action is also a massive boost for the Blaugrana - particularly as his return to top form and fitness would significantly ease the pressure on Yamal and Raphinha to always make something happen.

Still, Barca's recent struggles appear more mental than physical, with Flick admitting ahead of the Mallorca game that he has impressed upon his players the need to play with the requisite level of aggression.

"Today I spoke about fighting, not just football," the Blaugrana boss told reporters in his pre-match press conference. "When I was a player, I focused a lot on this attitude. I’ve never liked to lose and I think we have to create more of a fighting mentality to win games. We do well in some situations on the pitch but we have room to improve."

He's got a point. We know this Barca team can play beautiful football. As Yamal said, they proved that against Bayern and Madrid. What we don't know is whether they're mentally strong enough to deal with defeats.

Versatile defender Jules Kounde admitted after the Celta collapse, "When things are going well, it's easy." But now that the going has got tough, we'll find out if Barcelona still really believe themselves to be the best team in the world.