Dortmund defeat exposes the harsh truth about Barcelona’s overreliance on two stars | OneFootball

Barcelona may have progressed to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, but their performance against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-final second leg left a lot to be desired.

After establishing a 4-0 lead in the first leg at home, many expected the return leg to be a formality. On the contrary, it turned out to be a hard night full of mistakes.

It is safe to say that the group no longer resembled the dominant Barcelona that fans had grown used to in 2025. Their passing was extremely sloppy, they lacked rhythm, and they could not impose their typical control.

Despite the troubles on the night, Barcelona nonetheless managed to qualify for the semi-final for the first time in six years. That alone is a massive milestone for the club, even if the road was not as clean as anticipated.

Despite this one positive, however, their second-leg performance confirmed that there is a lot of work to be done if they are to lift the trophy and the absences of key players certainly proved that

Key absences expose fragility

One of the biggest takeaways from the match was the importance of key players who had been either left out or rested. Flick decided not to start Inigo Martinez in order to keep him away from a suspension in the semi-final first leg.

Inigo Martinez was dropped as a precautionary measure. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images)

Furthermore, Pedri was rested after playing many consecutive matches. Those selections have been made with exact intentions, but the results were clear.

Without the veteran defender, the defence lacked leadership and structure. His presence usually brings calmness and order to the backline, specifically while younger defenders are on the pitch.

At the moment, he is certainly the most dependable presence in Barcelona’s defensive unit.

On the other hand, Ronald Araujo is clearly still not back to his best after recovering from an injury. This became apparent after Barcelona conceded the third goal, which came from a clear blunder on the Uruguayan’s part.

Pedri’s importance cannot be ignored

Meanwhile, Pedri’s absence was equally costly. His ability to manipulate the pace, hold ownership, and settle the squad has been irreplaceable.

Without Pedri, Barcelona struggled. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

Against Dortmund, Fermin Lopez and Gavi worked tough defensively. However, they lacked the composure and imaginative presence of Pedri.

Without him, the team struggled to keep the ball and control the match when it mattered most.

While reaching the semi-finals is a commendable achievement, the manner in which Barcelona qualified forces us to pinpoint their reliance on both Pedri and Martinez.

For now, it is certain that Flick will need to reflect on these issues and adapt his approach going into the last four of the competition.

Depth and rotation are important, but this match showed that some players simply have no true replacement at the moment.

And as Barcelona prepare for their next challenge, ensuring the fitness and availability of essential figures like Martinez and Pedri could make all the difference.

In the end, Barcelona are through, and that is what matters most. But if they are to go further and dream of lifting the trophy, they will have to address the cracks that were exposed against Borussia Dortmund.