Barcelona is beautiful but the audience is 'abandoned'

Barcelona are playing beautiful football.

Barcelona are back. The ball is rolling, the emotions are rising, and with it comes the revival of a football philosophy that made the Catalan team famous: play fair, contribute and conquer with a free-flowing attacking style.

The 3-1 win over Vissel Kobe in Japan on 27 July was more than just a friendly. It was a bold statement that Hansi Flick is breathing new life into the Camp Nou – a Barcelona that is bold, youthful and ready to conquer.

Barcelona is different now

In his second year in charge of Barcelona, after just a few training sessions ahead of the new 2025/26 season, Flick showed that he was not here to patch things up but to rebuild a true football philosophy. Against Vissel Kobe, Barcelona played with a system that was rich in control but also no less direct.

The team pressed with high intensity from the first minutes, looking for opportunities from quick ball rotations and exploiting space on both sides. In particular, Flick encouraged his players to move flexibly, dare to hold the ball, dare to break through, instead of getting carried away with safe but harmless passes like at the end of last season.

The result? A Barcelona that attacked constantly, creating pressure that left the opponent on the defensive many times. The high-speed coordination, with the explosion of young faces, reminded fans of the feeling when Catalan football once made all of Europe bow down.

Hansi Flick helps Barcelona revive.

Dro and Bardghji, the two debutants, made a clear difference. They not only scored but also showed the courage of young players who are not afraid. Dro, with his speed and smart positioning, made Vissel Kobe's defense nervous. Bardghji - a player with technical and sharp play - also quickly integrated, taking advantage of the scoring opportunity to affirm that he deserved the opportunity.

Marcus Rashford was also a bright spot. Although he only played in the second half, the English player showed a difference in class and experience. He moved intelligently, dared to dribble, and dared to create breakthroughs.

If Lamine Yamal was the "soul" of the right wing in the first half, Rashford brought life to the left wing when he came on. With just a few neat ball handling situations, Rashford left the feeling that this could be an important "piece" for Flick next season.

A young, emotional Barcelona

What made this victory special was not the score, but the way Barcelona played. The team attacked as if to send a message: "We are back to play beautiful football". The enthusiasm and speed of the young players reminded them of the golden age of La Masia. Bold technical moves, sensible pressing, all made for a performance that was both "pleasing to the eye" and full of promise.

Against a Vissel Kobe team that played aggressively and without compromise, the “Blaugrana” players still maintained the initiative. Flick seemed to instill in them the confidence to dare to play dedicated football instead of just focusing on protecting the score. With what is happening, the culés have the right to hope that this season Barca will not only win, but win in a way that will make people admire.

Marcus Rashford made his Barcelona debut.

However, the most regrettable thing is that not everyone got to witness this match. Instead of broadcasting widely, the club chose to broadcast exclusively through the Culers app and the official website. In theory, this is the right strategy to build a digital ecosystem and create its own brand value. But in reality, it turned into a media disaster.

Many fans were “kicked” out of the system, confirmation emails never arrived, the broadcast interface was confusing, the login instructions were complicated. The result: many missed the entire first half. For a club that prided itself on its “més que un club” philosophy, to have its own fans “locked out” was an alarming step backwards.

Barcelona wants to globalize the brand, but globalizing cannot mean “monopolizing” the experience. Football is about connecting emotions, about millions of hearts beating together. If you take fans away from that playground, you lose the most precious asset - love and connection.

The victory over Vissel Kobe was a positive sign for Barcelona, both in terms of skill and spirit. Flick proved that he has a clear idea and is determined enough to start a new cycle of success. But if Barcelona want to continue writing the great story, they must return to the fans, not only on the pitch but also in the way they share the game and the emotions.

This summer, Barcelona need to prepare not only tactically, physically and in terms of formation, but also learn to connect more strongly with the community. Because on the pitch, the team plays like itself. Now there is only one thing left: to let everyone witness that return with their own eyes.

Source: https://znews.vn/barcelona-dep-mat-nhung-khan-gia-bi-bo-roi-post1572119.html