Barça explores its mistakes to win the Champions League next season

Things look different the day after a defeat, even those in which pride overwhelmingly trumps guilt. Flick's Barça has gone much further than expected, so internal criticism over the elimination didn't surface in the hours following the disappointment. Quite the opposite, in fact. The image of the team, inexperienced and contagiously enthusiastic in its conduct, drew only praise as its immediate reaction. The coaching staff, the presidency, fans, and even the media all agreed in unanimous applause. The anger was directed at the cruelty of football , which went one way as it could have gone the other, and at the refereeing that sided with Inter (Laporta ended up outraged), a great team on the other hand.

But as has been said, it's the next day when reflection begins. When a serious team must ask itself if something could have been done better. Wednesday dawned similar but different. With the pulse already back in place, the pride of belonging persisted, but the mistakes made festered, lesser than the merits, but mistakes nonetheless.

The club's priority is to beat Madrid, secure the league title, and then refine the squad with Hansi Flick's contract renewed.

Hansi Flick, who congratulated his players ("you can look in the mirror and be proud"), and his staff will not budge a comma from their manual, so risk will always be part of their philosophy. But attacking by default shouldn't equate to defending poorly, and the team did just that in phases of both matches, both the first and second legs. The system of play is very demanding, physically, technically, and tactically, and everything must function as a unit. Barça has conceded seven goals in two matches, and Flick considers this an avoidable anomaly. From the first to the second match, pieces were tweaked to minimize Dumfries's attack, and they succeeded. But other mismatches persisted at San Siro.

Flick hesitated between Gerard Martín and Iñigo Martínez as left-backs and ultimately chose the former. The reason was that Araújo would have been a factor if he played the Basque player to the left, and the Uruguayan hasn't had the coach's full confidence. Araújo is possibly the only player who hasn't improved from one year to the next. Much loved by the dressing room, which selected him as captain, and a top-level center-back in conventional defensive situations, the high line undermined his morale because Cubarsí and Íñigo Martínez overtook him when he had felt indispensable. His entry onto the field, forced by his teammates' exhaustion, worsened the defense. He failed even where his performances stood out. With the score at 4-3, only Héctor Fort, Araújo, and Gerard Martín remained behind. Injuries to Koundé and Balde ultimately proved decisive.

Among some (and a few) executives, the eternal debate between practicality and substance arose yesterday. There's no amending the style (Flick is currently Laporta's holy grail, and he'd renew it today if he could rather than tomorrow), but the blame is placed on the squad's innocence, due to their youth, for not possessing the composure or the quinqui gene that can kill a game when necessary. Nothing better illustrates this debate than what happened after Raphinha's goal (2-3) that secured passage to the final: on one side are those who miss using time-wasting maneuvers so nothing happens; on the other, Lamine Yamal, all ambition and talent, almost made it 2-4 by sending the ball hitting the post. Football in essence. The opportunism of the day after. We're on both sides depending on the outcome.

Weak points Araújo has not had the coach's full confidence and his performance in Milan was poor.

In the locker room, Lamine Yamal was precisely one of the players most affected. Fermín and the younger players wept inconsolably. Images of solidarity among teammates abounded, with Lewandowski, as usual, the most impervious to emotion. The Pole's athletic and professional performance is spectacular and impeccable. But he is not a mass leader despite his seniority.

The Pole wants to start on Sunday against Madrid. The question is whether what happened in Milan will negatively impact a squad still struggling to cope with these blows. Sources consulted for this article suggest that the players are desperate to beat Madrid and clinch the league title. It would be an extraordinary culmination of a sensational, yet unexpected, season.

There will be time for planning, during which the first drafts are being drawn up. Sales and signings will be made. The team is fascinating, but not so much that we can't see that it needs tweaking to return to the semifinals and win it this time. Pride fills us, but it doesn't win titles.