Three talking points as Barcelona fail to secure three points against Real Betis | OneFootball

After many weeks of continuous victories, the FC Barcelona juggernaut faced a setback against Real Betis last night, failing to secure a win against Manuel Pellegrini’s side. The Catalan club were held to a 1-1 draw in La Liga last night.

Barcelona started the game very well, getting the lead through Gavi very early in the game. However, they conceded soon after from a set-piece and it was a sequence of defending that would not have pleased Hansi Flick.

After that moment, the Catalan club dominated proceedings and created a truckload of chances but it was one of those days where precision in the final third was lacking. It didn’t help the team that Lamine Yamal was having an off-day by his own lofty standards.

With all this in mind, we at BNN bring three talking points for Barcelona as they failed to secure the three points against Real Betis in La Liga at the Montjuic.

1. The fatigue was bound to catch up

Hansi Flick has done immensely well to rotate his starting XI and picking and choosing players for the last few months to keep the entire squad fit and relatively injury free but the fatigue due to the insane fixture list was bound to catch up.

Against Real Betis last night, both Lamine Yamal and Pedri looked completely exhausted and despite this, the latter was pulling all the strings in midfield. Understandably, Hansi Flick decided to take him off to keep him fresh for the Borussia Dortmund game.

Yamal played the entire game on the night but by the own lofty standards that he has set for himself, the 17-year-old could not impose himself against Real Betis. It begs the question as to why Flick did not take him off to give him some rest.

Fatigue is going to be the biggest issue to contend with for Hansi Flick in the run-in and with the team competing on three fronts, the German coach needs to make crucial decisions. It remains to be seen how he handles the same going forward.

2. Still a positive result

Barcelona came into the Real Betis game knowing that Real Madrid had lost their game to Valencia earlier in the day. It was a huge result in the title race and the Catalan club had the chance to go six points clear at the top of the table.

That said, Hansi Flick’s men managed to secure a draw which means they still managed to go 4 points clear of Real Madrid. Should Barcelona win all their remaining games, the La Liga title still firmly remains in their hands.

With not long to go, Barcelona and Hansi Flick will know that every single game that they play is akin to a final. It must be said that the team have been almost flawless since the start of 2025 and even last night’s performance was very decent except for the finishing.

It remains to be seen how the La Liga title race see-saws from here on. Barcelona’s desire would be to win every single game between now and the end of the season and let’s wait and see how it plays out.

3. Gavi was brilliant

If there was one big takeaway from the game against Real Betis for Barcelona, it is the fact that Gavi was excellent against a side he was a part of back as a kid. Apart from his goal on the night, the Spaniard impressed with his technical ability.

The young midfielder has come under some criticism in recent weeks and lost his starting berth to Dani Olmo. However, the ex-RB Leipzig man’s injury has given Gavi a chance and it is safe to say that he seems to be taking the chance with both hands.

Gavi’s technical ability on the ball is often an underrated aspect of his game and he is not just a ball-winner in midfield. Once Pedri was taken off, the Spaniard also dropped deeper into midfield and controlled the tempo.

A fully-fit and in-form Gavi bodes very well for Hansi Flick going forward. It was a nice moment to see him celebrate with the gaffer once he scored his goal and let’s wait and see if the Spaniard can build on this performance going forward.