Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Brest | UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

Days after their humbling 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo, Barcelona return to action in the UEFA Champions League in a tricky fixture against Brest.

The final eight minutes against the Galician side on Saturday night were horrific as the team collapsed and conceded twice in two minutes to let go of their lead and they will be determined to come back stronger midweek.

Barcelona stand sixth on the UEFA Champions League standings and Brest, surprisingly, are one of the few teams ahead of them on the standings.

The French club is currently fourth on the table with three wins and a draw and are currently undefeated in the competition. While they pose a formidable threat, Barcelona will have the home-ground advantage.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Brest vs Barcelona.

Time to get back on song

Hansi Flick has improved Barcelona. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

Barcelona have truly improved under Hansi Flick, but their ongoing spell is the biggest hurdle they have had to face yet. After the defeat to Real Sociedad, the Catalans threw away a 2-0 lead and will look to fire on all cylinders to get back on song tonight.

Returning after the international break, Barcelona did not look half as confident as they were in previous months and their performance at Municipal de Balaidos was abysmal.

While the midfield did look reassured, the forwards were a shadow of their former selves and the defence struggled to keep up with Celta Vigo’s pressure. The biggest problem, however, was the collective effort.

Unlike the form they displayed before the break, Barcelona never imposed themselves on the proceedings and their buildup never flowed freely.

Misplayed passes, poor movement off the ball and a lack of progressive play are some of the issues the manager will look to immediately fix against Brest.

Is Yamal-depencia real?

Lamine Yamal will miss tonight’s game. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Flick was adamant that Lamine Yamal’s absence had nothing to do with Barcelona’s defeat to Real Sociedad and that the team would prove it in Galicia.

If the weekend’s clash was anything to go by, however, it only reinforced the idea that the team is not the same without the youngster.

With Yamal not on the field to dictate the play, lead counter-attacks and break defences with his creative long balls, Barcelona did not break down the opposition lines as they did before and it is clear that there is already a degree of Yamal-depencia.

The Kopa Trophy winner will once again be unavailable tonight as the manager confirmed he is still not fit to play. Barcelona hope for him to return at the weekend, but getting through the game against Brest without him will be an uphill challenge.

Playing Raphinha on the right wing partially filled the void left by Yamal’s absence but the manager must find an alternative means to boost the attacking potency against the Ligue 1 side and prove that the team can function without the teenager.

After all, the dressing room needs that boost to instil confidence that they do not depend on any single player.

Fixing the leaky defence

Barcelona must minimize defensive errors. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Just when it seemed like Barcelona’s offside trap was the supreme tactic that even Europe’s elite could not decode, teams have begun finding Hansi Flick’s number.

Crvena Zvezda laid the blueprint for how to break Barcelona’s trap effectively, and while they could not register a win, threatened the club often on the break.

Real Sociedad pounced on the same ideology and implemented it with effectiveness, tormenting Barcelona in the Basque country and taking away three points.

Celta Vigo, despite being 2-0 down even in the 80th minute, once again showed the progressive runs from midfield was the lethal weapon to decode Barelona’s high defensive line and it now appears that the secret is open.

Brest, needless to say, will draw inspiration from the same and it will be critical that the manager finds a fix to the issue before they can capitalise on the same.

Tonight, especially with Alejandro Balde unavailable and Gerard Martin coming off a horror show at the weekend, it remains to be seen how the manager combats the defensive lapses. That, after all, could prove decisive