Barça's weak point in 24/25: 66 goals conceded in 56 games

The 2024/25 season of FC Barcelona has been spectacular in sports. The team is on the verge of winning three of the four titles in dispute in a course that many predicted as a transition with Hansi Flick on the bench.

In general, the Blaugrana team has displayed a colorful, vertical and ultra-offensive football, assuming many risks in defense, compensated by an implacable attack and the surgical work of its defenders to leave its rivals, constantly, offside.

However, beyond the good tactical work done by the defensive line, the team has conceded many goals in all competitions, this being its weak point.

In total, Barça has 66 goals against in 56 games, with an average of 1.17 goals conceded per game. In the Champions League, this ended up being a key factor in the Blaugrana elimination. 

❌The Champions League escaped due to the goals against

FC Barcelona players in the match against Inter in the Champions League

And, if they had not conceded 7 goals in the 'semis', Barça would have advanced to its first final in the last decade.

The team maintained its impressive offensive performance in the tournament, scoring 43 goals in 14 games (3.07 per game), the best attack by far in the tournament, but conceded too much at the back.

In total, Barcelona conceded 24 goals (1.71 per game), too many for a club that aspires to win the 'Orejona'.

In the league phase, the Culés were the team with the worst defensive performance (13 goals against in 8 games) of the eight teams that advanced directly to the round of 16.

In fact, of the 24 classified in the group stage, only Celtic and Manchester City (14), in addition to Feyenoord (21), received more goals than the Culés.

Already in the KO phase, Barça only kept its goal undefeated in two games (the first leg against Benfica, 0-1 and the first leg against Dortmund, 4-0). In their last three games, against Borussia and Inter, Flick's team conceded 10 goals, with a balance of 1 draw and 2 losses.

There, the balance tilted against a team that seemed unstoppable and was only a couple of minutes away from reaching the final.

🥅The goals received by Barcelona in the 24/25

1. LaLiga: 33 in 34 games.
2. UEFA Champions League: 24 in 14 games.
3. Copa del Rey: 7 in 6 games.
4. Spanish Super Cup: 2 in 2 games.
5. Total: 66 goals against in 56 games (1.17 per game).

⚽Comparison of Barça's defense in the last two seasons

Xavi Hernández and Hansi Flick in a contact in Barcelona

Regarding the previous season, the defensive performance is similar. Xavi Hernández's team closed the 2023/24 season with 69 goals conceded in 53 games (1.30 per game), 3 less than the team led by Hansi Flick has conceded in 56 games so far.

In total, Barça will play 60 games this season, one less than the maximum (the Champions League final was missing), caused by the change of format in the top European competition (two more games in the initial phase).

In the League, the Culés closed last season with 44 goals against, 9 less than those conceded this season. In the Champions League there was a notable difference, with 14 goals received in 10 games (the team fell in the quarterfinals).

In the Copa del Rey, the Blaugrana team conceded 7 goals in just 3 games, the same as this season on the way to the title. And, in the Spanish Super Cup, Barça conceded 4 goals in the final against Madrid (4-1), while in the 24/25 the Catalans were the champions by a landslide (5-2).

In general, the defensive performance has been similar in the last two seasons, although the record in the 24/25 may be much more generous (three titles) thanks to the huge Blaugrana attack.

The team has 163 goals scored (2.91 per game), 52 more than the previous year (110). However, for the future, it will have to improve its defensive performance to aspire again to the treble.

*There are still 4 league games to play