Barcelona face a goalscoring problem ahead of the season

Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona’s pre-season friendlies under Hansi Flick have exposed a serious problem in the squad: a lack of goals in attack. Robert Lewandowski’s departure and Ferran Torres’ potential transfer have created a major gap in the Catalans’ forward line. Goal.com reports on this.

The late return of international players to training camp due to the World Cup has become a particular headache for head coach Hansi Flick. The final group of players joined the squad on 12 August. Barcelona’s first three pre-season matches clearly highlighted the team’s weaknesses in attack.

Attacking problems and disappointing statistics

The matches against Birmingham, Nottingham Forest and Udinese, along with their results, are causing concern among fans. In particular, two of the first three games lasted only 45 minutes, and all three showed that the team lacked shots on target. Before the matches against Basel and in the Joan Gamper Trophy, Barcelona had managed to score just three goals.

Most of these goals came from set pieces. Two of the three goals were penalties, while the other came from a rebound. Egyptian talent Hamza Abdelkarim scored twice, while Brazilian winger Raphinha added the other goal.

The departure of key players and transfer plans

This decline in goalscoring is directly linked to the departure of Robert Lewandowski, who scored an average of 30 goals per season for Barcelona over four seasons. Making the situation even more difficult, Ferran Torres, who scores close to 20 goals per season, has also expressed a desire to leave the club. The forward has already informed the management that he wants to join Paris Saint-Germain.

Against Udinese, Flick relied on players such as Raphinha, Fermín, Ademi, Bessie and Hamza. The German coach is currently waiting for Barcelona’s leading scorers, Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo, to return to the squad. However, the situation is forcing the club’s sporting directorate to act quickly.

Signing players such as Julián Álvarez or finding an alternative plan has now become Barcelona’s most pressing task. Before the upcoming competitive fixtures, the coaching staff must find ways to improve the efficiency of the attack.