Barcelona Beat Frankfurt But an Alarming Trend Is Emerging

Barcelona secured a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League Gameweek 6 meeting at Camp Nou on Tuesday night. 

The victory comes as a relief for Hansi Flick’s boys, who had dropped points in three of their previous four Champions League fixtures.

However, a worrying trend has emerged for the Blaugrana in recent matches, one they must address to strengthen their chances of winning silverware.

Barcelona Concede First Goal in Fourth Straight Game

Frankfurt striker Ansgar Knauff scored the opening goal in the 21st minute. The visitors exploited Barca’s high line, with Knauff getting on the end of Nathaniel Brown’s long ball and applying a tidy finish.

Jules Kounde’s second-half brace ensured Barca’s victory, but Hansi Flick is unlikely to be satisfied with his side’s defensive performance.

It was the fourth straight game, in all competitions, that Barcelona had conceded the first goal.

At the end of November, Pablo Ibanez scored in the first minute for Deportivo Alaves at Camp Nou. Lamine Yamal (8′) and Dani Olmo (26′, 90+3′) were on the scoresheet as Barca mounted a comeback.

Serious Question: Can we even win without first going behind? pic.twitter.com/g0qSf34xnl

— total Barça (@totalBarca) December 10, 2025

On 2 December, Barcelona came away with a 3-1 victory over LaLiga title rivals Atletico Madrid. But it was Atletico’s Alex Baena (19′) who scored the first goal. Raphinha (26′), Olmo (65′), and Ferran Torres (90+6′) scored as the hosts overturned their deficit.

Four days later, Barcelona and Real Betis treated fans to an eight-goal thriller. The Catalans won 5-3 at Estadio La Cartuja, but Antony made it 1-0, scoring in the sixth minute.

Ferran Torres emerged as the hero of the match, netting a hat-trick (11′, 13′, 40′), while Roony Bardghji (31′) and Yamal (59′) also scored.

Barca Need to Reinforce and Adapt

The majority of the goals have come from set pieces or counterattacks.

The former issue could be solved by signing centre-backs who excel in aerial duels. However, there is reportedly little movement on that front.

Barcelona are ready to splurge on a new striker, but centre-back links have been few and far between.

Barcelona’s vulnerability to counter-attacks, meanwhile, is a systemic issue.

Hansi Flick wants his teams to keep the pressure on from the first moment to last, which means holding a high line. Teams with a penchant for finding spaces tend to capitalise on it and score.

Champions League opponents punish defensive mistakes more ruthlessly than LaLiga sides. This is why they conceded 39 goals in 38 LaLiga games but 24 in 14 UCL matches last season.

However, Barca also boast one of the best attacks in the world. So, as long as they can outscore their opponents, Flick is unlikely to abandon his high-risk-high-reward system.