February, a part of the season where titles are not yet won but can certainly be lost, has brought us a FC Barcelona that has managed to lock down its defense. The numbers show us a blaugrana team much more secure defensively than in previous months, when the scores reflected a lopsided result in favor of Flick's side but also some goals against. It is evident that this Barça doesn't attack with the same freshness as before, but it is much more secure in terms of defense. The truth is that at this stage of the 24/25 campaign, with everything ahead, the Barça fan, as long as they win, won't care if it's by 5 to 2 or 2 to 0.
So far this month, the Barcelona team has played five matches, four of them in La Liga and one in the Copa del Rey. It is true that the opponents have not been of the highest caliber, but visits to Mestalla in the knockout tournament or to Sánchez Pizjuán in domestic competition have never been easy duels. Even hosting Rayo in Montjuïc, the surprise team of the season, did not present itself as a walk in the park, and it certainly wasn't. In these five matches, Flick's side has conceded only one goal, scored by Rubén Vargas in the 1 to 4 in Seville. The remaining four matches, all with a clean sheet, amount to a total of 360 minutes without picking a ball out of their own net. Undoubtedly something noteworthy.
It is clear that the real tests come now. In the next 30 days, FC Barcelona will have to face the best Atlético de Madrid of recent years twice, first in the Copa semifinals and then in what could be a crucial match for the fate of La Liga, in a Metropolitano that will be a cauldron. They will also face Benfica twice, seeking a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals. First at Da Luz, where Barça conceded four goals not too long ago, and later at Montjuïc. And as the icing on the cake, in between, two home games against Real Sociedad and Osasuna that will test the blaugrana's leadership in the league competition. In summary; a month not for the faint-hearted.
But if this calendar must be faced, which presents itself with a knife between its teeth and a strong desire to cause harm, what better way to do it than with the sense of security that the Barça defense conveys today. Szczęsny has been proving Flick right for weeks, increasingly resembling that goalkeeper who excelled in Europe's best teams, giving the impression that there is a goalkeeper. Cubarsí remains determined to make us believe that an 18-year-old center-back can perform with the experience and know-how of a 32-year-old. Eric García has risen from his ashes like the Phoenix, going from having one foot out the door at Girona to being a reliable option for the blaugrana defense. And Íñigo Martínez, Jules Koundé, and Alejandro Balde continue to perform perfectly in their appearances.
Nothing better than four clean sheets in five games to face the decisive stretch of the season. Perhaps Barça doesn't attack as before, doesn't have the freshness or the punch of previous months to put games to bed by halftime, but titles are also forged from defense. If you are not sharp in scoring goals, strengthen your defense to avoid conceding them.