Tame and lifeless Barcelona shown up by Monaco in Gamper Trophy game

The pre-season Gamper Trophy game is supposed to be a jovial affair. Barça fans get the chance to see their team back in action for the first time of the season, new signings and promising academy players get shown off to an excited crowd, and there is an air of summer optimism about the place, usually.  

That’s how it should be. But when boos rang out from large sections of the Montjuïc crowd in just the 57th minute following Monaco’s second goal in a 0-3 win, the gravity of the job at hand probably came crashing down on Hansi Flick. 

The German manager won a treble in his last club job, at Bayern Munich. It’s true that at times on Monday the atmosphere in Barcelona’s first home game of the new season matched that seen during Flick’s time at Bayern. Only, the problem is, he managed there during the pandemic, when stadiums were empty. 

The new Barça boss will have to get used to a very different kind of atmosphere at his new club and the specific demands of the Catalan faithful, who are accustomed to winning beautifully.

A competitive game will surely be different, when there is a dedicated singing section providing a constant atmosphere to accompany the play, but on Monday night the team’s play matched the dull hum of the crowd that wasn’t even loud enough to block out the noise of the players talking to each other on the pitch. Neither party was capable of enlivening the other. 

Barcelona’s starting lineup didn’t feature any players who won the European Championships or the Olympics with the Spain squads during the summer, and instead, youngsters such as Pablo Torre, Pau Víctor, Marc Bernal, and Marc Casado were given runouts. But apart from a guilt-edge chance for Víctor provided by Raphinha, a flat Barça created nothing else worth mentioning in a tame first half. A strong defensive unit also looked far from impenetrable.

The lack of intensity carried continued after the break and the deadlock was broken after a total lapse in concentration in the home side’s defence, handing the chance on a plate for Lamine Camara to score. Now clearly in the ascendency, it was Monaco who took control of proceedings and deservedly doubled the lead just minutes later. 

The sight of Lamine Yamal warming up on the sidelines was the only thing the stands had to cheer, and the 17-year-old immediately provided some electricity to the game after coming on, speeding up the rhythm of the game. Ultimately, this wasn’t enough to wake up a very flat Barcelona team that soon slipped back into passenger mode. Monaco notched a third and the stands began to empty. 

Just days ahead of the kickoff of the new season, this result and performance will be a jolt to everyone in the Barcelona camp. Flick will be worried about the lack of intensity across the team, no discernable strategy of pressing visible, and the lack of leadership from stars like Lewandowski and Raphinha who would hope to be in a first-choice XI. 

The Catalans open the 2024/25 La Liga season with two difficult fixtures: first up is Valencia away on Saturday before Athletic Club come to Montjuïc in week two.