In the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal, Barcelona experienced a heavy 4-0 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid. The match saw Barcelona trailing 2-0 before they even managed a shot on target, marking one of their worst losses ever to Atletico and equaling the 4-0 defeats in both 1989 and 1942.

This game also saw Barcelona trailing by four goals at halftime for the first time since their infamous 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in August 2020, when managed by current Barcelona manager Hansi Flick.

Although Barcelona has another leg to play at home at the Camp Nou on March 3, the team showcased areas needing significant improvement. The absence of key player Raphinha was notably felt, as Barcelona’s offense struggled against Atletico’s new approach. Despite a better performance in the second half, they couldn’t recover the scoreline.

Currently, Barcelona leads La Liga, albeit only by one point over Real Madrid. Raphinha’s injury is concerning, as his absence has been detrimental—six of Barcelona’s losses in this season have come during his unavailability. Reports suggest that Raphinha’s injury isn’t severe and he should return soon, but this marks the third instance he has missed due to injury.

With high-stakes matches ahead, changes are imperative for Barcelona, especially with a red card received by defender Eric Garcia compounding their troubles. On the other hand, Atletico Madrid’s recent acquisition of Ademola Lookman from Atalanta looks promising, as he has already made significant contributions to the team in his initial matches.

Given Barcelona’s memorable comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, when they overturned a deficit of 0-4 to win 6-5 on aggregate, hope remains that they can turn things around in the return leg.