Barcelona edged past Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night, but the narrow victory left plenty of lingering concerns.
While Hansi Flick’s side celebrated reaching a European semi-final for the first time in six years, the mood was far from triumphant.
Several players, including Jules Kounde, Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski, voiced dissatisfaction with the team’s performance.
Flick admitted he needed to remind his squad of what they had accomplished.
One bright spot for Barcelona was the return of Dani Olmo, who featured in the final ten minutes after recovering from injury.
Flick plans to ease him back into the squad, hoping to build up his match fitness in upcoming league games against Celta Vigo and Mallorca ahead of the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.
Flick’s priority remains restoring his preferred midfield trio of Pedri, de Jong and Olmo.
Pedri was rested for an hour against Dortmund, and while Dani Olmo is being carefully reintroduced, there’s a chance he might not start in the final against Los Blancos.
Instead, he could be used as a second-half impact player, similar to his role in the season’s first Clasico at the Bernabeu.
Reports from Sport suggest Flick is leaning towards starting Fermin Lopez in the final.
Lopez, who has seen more regular action than Gavi recently, may not have found the back of the net, but Flick has praised his overall impact.
Interestingly, Lopez also started that earlier Clasico at the Bernabeu, alongside Marc Casado.
On that occasion, de Jong came off the bench to replace Lopez, and Barcelona looked far more composed with the Dutchman on the pitch as they ran out 4-0 winners.
Flick now faces key decisions in midfield ahead of a crucial stretch in the season, with his rotation strategy under close scrutiny.
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