Abelardo Fernandez identifies Barcelona weakness before Paris Saint-Germain test

Barcelona person won each 10 of their matches and scored 43 goals nether Hansi Flick this season, but erstwhile defender Abelardo Fernandez believes 1 weakness could inactive forestall the Catalan giants from winning the Champions League.

Few teams successful Europe person started 2026-27 arsenic convincingly arsenic Barcelona.

Flick's broadside person won each crippled crossed La Liga and the Champions League, scoring much than 4 goals per lucifer connected mean and extending their cleanable tally with a 4-1 triumph distant to Galatasaray connected Tuesday night.

Yet the scoreline successful Istanbul did not wholly person Abelardo, who made much than 250 appearances for Barcelona betwixt 1994 and 2002.

The erstwhile Spain planetary believes the Catalans inactive deficiency an elite centre-back susceptible of handling the idiosyncratic battles that go progressively important against Europe's strongest attacks.

"I deliberation that to aspire to triumph the Champions League, Barcelona request a top-level centre-back," Abelardo told Onda Cero.

"I judge that... I anticipation I'm wrong."

His informing comes astatine a peculiarly applicable moment, with Barcelona preparing to sojourn Paris Saint-Germain successful their adjacent Champions League fixture connected October 20.

Why Barcelona's cleanable commencement has not removed antiaircraft doubts

Barcelona's attacking numbers marque it hard to place evident flaws.

Their 43 goals crossed their opening 10 matches underline however efficaciously Flick's aggravated pressing and assertive positioning proceed to overwhelm opponents.

However, that aforesaid attack tin permission ample spaces down Barcelona's antiaircraft enactment erstwhile an hostile escapes the archetypal pressure.

Galatasaray offered a reminder of the risk.

The Turkish broadside took the pb against Barca and concisely thought that they had doubled their vantage earlier a 2nd extremity was ruled retired for offside.

Flick's squad yet recovered emphatically, but Abelardo believes that Champions League knockout shot volition yet exposure defenders to situations that cannot ever beryllium solved collectively.

"At the extremity of the day, you are going to person to triumph antiaircraft duels against Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane..." helium added.

"I deliberation Barca, defensively, inactive deficiency top-level players to aspire to triumph the Champions League.

"They tin triumph it, but I deliberation they are inactive missing something."

That favoritism is important.

Abelardo is not arguing that Barcelona are incapable of becoming European champions, nor is helium dismissing the improvement of Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Jules Kounde oregon Eric Garcia.

His interest is whether Flick possesses capable idiosyncratic antiaircraft prime erstwhile his strategy leaves a centre-back isolated against 1 of Europe's astir unsafe forwards.

PSG clash volition connection contiguous trial of Abelardo warning

Barcelona volition not person to hold agelong to find out.

Their adjacent Champions League duty takes them to the Parc des Princes, wherever Luis Enrique's PSG volition connection precisely the benignant of modulation menace Abelardo fears.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was specifically cited by the erstwhile Barcelona defender erstwhile discussing the duels Flick's backmost enactment whitethorn person to triumph against elite European opposition.

The Paris brushwood truthful provides a utile trial of whether Barcelona's bonzer attacking signifier tin compensate erstwhile the prime of the absorption increases.

Defensive recruitment has already been an contented astatine Camp Nou.

Barcelona person not genuinely replaced Inigo Martinez since his departure for Al-Nassr astatine the extremity of the 2024-25 campaign, alternatively relying heavy connected younger defenders and the versatility of Kounde and Garcia.

The nine person subsequently continued to measure centre-back options successful the transportation market.

Gerard Martin's increasing value has fixed Flick different interior option, but Barcelona person besides looked astatine higher-profile solutions.

Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol was among the profiles Barcelona identified arsenic an perfect semipermanent enactment owed to his quality to run some centrally and astatine left-back, though the Croatia planetary had nary tendency to permission the Etihad Stadium.

For now, Flick has small crushed to change a look that has produced 10 victories from 10 matches.

Barcelona's pressing, question and attacking extent person truthful acold been beardown capable to overwhelm virtually everything successful beforehand of them.

The question Abelardo raises is what happens erstwhile that unit nary longer prevents the hostile from reaching Barcelona's antiaircraft line.

Against PSG, 1 of the fewer teams susceptible of answering Barcelona's attacking aggression with elite gait and idiosyncratic prime of their own, that question whitethorn yet go overmuch harder to avoid.