Three takeaways for Hansi Flick from Barcelona 4-4 Atletico Madrid | Copa del Rey | OneFootball

The Estadi Olimpic de Lluis Companys was anything but full on Tuesday night as Barcelona took on Atletico Madrid in the semifinal of the Copa del Rey.

The game in itself was entertaining till the very end with both teams having the upper hand at some point and eventually splitting the spoils.

Goals were in abundance, tensions ran high, and officiating errors once again came to the fore. In the end, however, Barcelona had to settle for a 4-4 draw heading into the second leg in April.

Pedri, Inigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi, and Robert Lewandowski were on the scoresheet with Raphinha, Jules Kounde, and Lamine Yamal taking home the assists.

For Atletico Madrid, it was Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann, Marcos Llorente, and Alexander Sorloth who found the back of the net.

Barça Universal brings you three takeaways for Hansi Flick from Barcelona 4-4 Atletico Madrid.

Fresh mentality testified

Barcelona must take the blame. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

While the end of last night’s game was largely negative for Barcelona, one must not forget to give the team credit where it is due.

For years now, the Catalans have suffered after going a goal down simply because of a lack of confidence.

The mental resilience of the dressing room has been fragile for long and it remained unclear if Hansi Flick actually brought any changes on that front.

Last night’s game testified that the Blaugrana have a far fresher and superior mentality to what fans have come to associate them with in recent years.

It just took five minutes for Barcelona to go two goals down against Atletico Madrid last night. They appeared to be outdone on the counterattack and were fragile at the back, and going two goals down early in the semifinal surely could not be easy.

Yet, at no point after that did they look to tame down. Flick’s side controlled the game, asserted their authority, and struck back-to-back goals to level the scores.

Pedri and Pau Cubarsi are to credit for the opening two goals, and Inigo Martinez even made it 3-2 before the break.

The team can and should be criticized for blowing their lead, but they must be credited for having the mental fortitude to not back off even after going two goals down.

Substitutions let Flick down

Gavi failed to make an impact. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Flick has largely been fantastic with his in-game changes all season and the players he brings on usually provide an instant impact.

Last night, however, his substitutions did not quite work out and even possibly cost Barcelona dearly.

The Catalans never really dominated the game in the second half, but Lewandowski’s goal helped them secure a sizeable lead and they looked comfortable playing the ball around and keeping possession.

Gavi and Fermin Lopez, who came on to replace Dani Olmo and Raphinha respectively, let the team down massively as they struggled to keep Barcelona’s possession spell going.

As Olmo, Raphinha, and Pedri made their way off the field one after the other, Barcelona slowly lost control of the midfield and Atletico Madrid began dominating the player with possession and chances.

The team simply could no longer keep up with Los Rojiblancos’ high press and succumbed to the pressure, eventually conceding two goals and allowing a 4-4 result on a night when they should have won convincingly.

Starting from scratch

Barcelona might find it difficult to face Atletico away from home. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

While the 4-4 result is not poor for Barcelona by any means, it is far from what they would have hoped halfway through the semifinal tie.

Playing the first leg at Montjuic, it was always the team’s objective to secure a sizeable lead and an advantage heading into the reverse fixture at Civitas Metropolitano.

Now, however, the game in Madrid will kick off afresh and Barcelona will have to start from scratch playing at a foreign venue.

There is indeed a month to go before the second leg is played and the two teams will meet at the Metropolitano even before that night in La Liga. With the stakes sky high and no lead to fall back on, it is critical that Flick gets his decisions right next month.

On a positive note, Barcelona were the better team by far and will look to be more efficient in the reverse fixture to secure the win.

Having failed to beat Atletico Madrid twice this season, however, the question is whether they can do it away from home twice in a month.