Stumbling at home against Las Palmas wasn't an accident. It was a warning of something that could happen again. And it has happened with Leganés' visit.
Is Barça Throwing Away LaLiga?
The Madrid team has claimed its first victory in its short history of visits to Barça. They warned Barça in the 3rd minute, but Flick's players didn't react until the final moments of the match.
It seems this Barça leaves us with a takeaway: you have to choose. You can't compete for both LaLiga and the Champions League. One or the other.
And they seem willing to throw away LaLiga. In fact, they've been throwing it away for many weeks now.
Barça dominated the first half. But Leganés capitalized on Sergio González's goal in the 3rd minute to go into halftime with the lead on the scoreboard.
And it wasn't for lack of opportunities. This headless Barça, with Hansi Flick punished in exile, created chances and got forward. But Dimitrovic thwarted all the danger that came his way.
Raphinha hit the post and Lewandowski got stuck in three one-on-ones against the Leganés goalkeeper. The Madrid team limited itself to defending in an orderly fashion and feigning injuries in hopes that time would work in their favor.
Lamine Yamal complained of a blow to the ankle that raised fears of a relapse of his last injury.
A Penalty the Referee Missed
In the 58th minute, a stomp inside the area by Javi Hernández on Raphinha went unpunished. And it was blatant, with no intention of hiding it, outright.
In the 63rd minute, a clear takedown of Kounde that the referee didn't call. A referee who drove the Montjuic crowd crazy. He allowed every tackle from the Leganés players to be made with a fist forward.
5 points from the last 18 in play suggest that Barça isn't taking this tournament seriously. The next home game, against Atlético, who have the same points as Barça but with one less game.
Barça Attacked without Order
And Real Madrid relishes their draw in Vallecas, which seemed like a debacle. They're just one point behind the two leaders and also have a game in hand.
Barça couldn't find themselves in the second half. They attacked disorderly and never managed to surprise an organized Leganés defense. Always with a fist forward, they drove the Barcelona forwards crazy with the referee's blessing.
But Barcelona fans feared losing more than just three points. Lamine Yamal asked to be substituted in the first half after receiving a hard tackle from a Leganés defender that twisted his ankle.
The Same Ankle
It's the same ankle that kept him out of action for a couple of weeks just a few weeks ago. Of course, the referee didn't call a foul. With Lamine, anything goes.
Then he asked for time to hold on until the end. And he ended up playing the second half. Although he was eventually substituted in the final minutes.
And fans were left wondering if Lamine's issue was serious.
Technical Sheet
FC Barcelona, 0 - Leganés, 1
FC BARCELONA: Peña; Koundé, Eric (Cubarsí, 74'), Íñigo, Balde; Casadó (Pau Víctor, 80'), Pedri; Lamine Yamal (Gavi, 74'), Dani Olmo (Femín, 66'), Raphinha; Lewandowski (Ferran, 66')
CD LEGANÉS: Dmitrovic; Adrià Altimira, Sergio González, Jorge Sáenz, Renato Tapia (Darko, 45'+1), Javi Hernández; Munir (Nastasic, 59'), Neyou, Cissé (Raba, 82'), Òscar; Miguel (Diego, 59')
GOALS: 0-1, Sergio González, 4'
REFEREE: Quintero González, Andalusian Committee. Card to Cissé (75')
STADIUM: Olímpic Lluís Companys de Montjuïc. 39,523 spectators