Barcelona comes out strong against Dortmund and continues its confident run in the Champions League

It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty, but Barcelona left Dortmund with an important win in the Champions League that takes the pressure off them heading into the new year.

With two games remaining against Atalanta and Benfica, the Blaugrana will be looking to secure a place in the top eight and thus an automatic place in the round of 16.

Barcelona took a lot of blows on Wednesday night, but they didn’t back down.

Despite two unforced errors that could have cost them the win from their normally very reliable center backs, the team found a way to keep fighting with the forwards stepping up and saving their brothers in the defensive line.

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Not everything is as it should be at Barcelona.

Honestly, they seem exhausted and sometimes struggle to keep up with their opponents. This has been trending for over a month. And in my opinion the question is whether this team will be able to go the distance with so many games in a crowded calendar.

Seeing Ferran Torres step into the spotlight and perform was an encouraging sign. Barcelona need more of him in the future to give the likes of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal a break.

At his best, Ferran is a threat in the penalty area. Although he has missed the easy targets in the past, we have also seen that he has a poacher’s instinct to be in the right place at the right time. If he gets hot, he could score a lot of goals in a short amount of time.

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I liked seeing him come on for Robert Lewandowski. Although the Polish superstar has turned back the clock this season and is the top scorer in both La Liga and the Champions League, there are some cases in certain games where a player like Ferran could be the better option tactically.

Against Dortmund, for example, Raphinha, Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal all looked tied up. If you use a 36-year-old center forward, you won’t have the presence up front to cause much danger when pressing. This creates even bigger problems when playing on such a high defensive line.

The introduction of Ferran and Fermín López changed the dynamic because the energy increased. And it’s exactly what Barcelona needed to get through the game.

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That was a brave performance from Barcelona. After everything we’ve seen recently, you feared that the team would capitulate and leave Germany with lost points.

Instead, they continue to march forward in Europe, surprising everyone and sitting in second place behind the only unbeaten Liverpool.

Now Hansi Flick can concentrate on La Liga. He needs to make sure his best players are rested and back to full health when they return from the winter break. Before that they have to get all six points against Leganes and an up-and-coming Atlético Madrid.

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It’s encouraging to see that Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen will be back soon to give Pau Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez and Jules Kounde a well-deserved rest.

One of the biggest questions will be whether Frenkie de Jong and Gavi can get back to their best. So far neither looks close enough.

Could we see the breakthrough of a new La Masia product in the forward line to support Barcelona’s star trio?

To continue their magical run in Europe while staying at the top in Spain, they need depth beyond their reliable starting XI. If not, it will be difficult to imagine a win like that against Dortmund.

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For now you have to say: Bravo Barcelona.

Seeing the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and PSG all struggle while Barcelona shine is a reminder that this team is on the right track under Hansi Flick. Despite the setbacks recently.

When things get tough, the support of your brotherhood is important.

And that is the spirit that could take Barcelona to even greater heights in the coming months.