FC Barcelona suffered a harsh 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad at Reale Arena, as their impressive winning run came to an end.
Mikel Oyarzabal gave the home side the lead with a superb left-footed volley, set up by Gonçalo Guedes following a rapid counter-attack.
Barcelona responded strongly and drew level through Marcus Rashford, who finished off a brilliant assist from Lamine Yamal.
Sociedad struck back almost instantly, with Guedes netting the winner after a smart pass from Carlos Soler.
Barcelona controlled large parts of the game and fashioned plenty of promising opportunities, but they were repeatedly thwarted by Sociedad’s stubborn low block, several disallowed efforts, and a lack of cutting edge in front of goal.
The loss snapped their impressive winning run and once again exposed weaknesses when defending swift breaks.
Here are the 5 things we learned:
1. Defensive transitions still need serious work
Even with strong possession and high expected goals, quick counters and direct balls behind the line continue to expose the backline.
Real Sociedad showed how dangerous a well-timed transition can be against a high-pressing team.
2. Lack of balance when pushing forward creates counter opportunities
Flick’s philosophy commits numbers forward for the press and overloads, but against a compact Sociedad sitting deep, it meant Barça overcommitted without enough cover.
The result is Rare but punishing counters where Sociedad hit on the break decisively.
3. Creating chances is not the same as converting them
Multiple big opportunities, shots hitting the post, dangerous moments from Yamal and Olmo — yet zero goals.
Clinical finishing becomes the difference against deep, organized defenses.
4. Intensity must be maintained for the full 90 minutes
The high press worked in phases, but when intensity dropped even slightly, Sociedad found space and punished one key moment.
5. Consistency in duels and pressing is non-negotiable.
The league title race allows zero off-days.
Dropping points against a mid-table side while leading the table is a reminder that the margin for error is tiny, especially with tough fixtures coming up in all competitions.
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