Spanish press reports revealed the tactical reasons that led to the expulsion of both Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia during the match against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, which directly affected the course of the encounter and Barcelona's exit from the tournament.

According to a report by the Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo," the two red cards resulted from similar situations where Atlético Madrid capitalized on Barcelona's defensive errors, particularly due to the Catalan team's reliance on a high defensive line, which allowed the opposing players to make runs behind the defense and exploit the spaces.

The report indicated that Barcelona's coach, Hans Flick, emphasizes the need for continuous pressure on the ball carrier to limit passing options. However, the failure to execute this pressure properly gave Atletico players enough time to create plays, which was repeated in the instances of the dismissals.

In the details of Koubarcy's expulsion during the first leg, the report explained that the attack began with unsuccessful pressure, as Julian Alvarez received the ball in his half and advanced a long distance without real challenge, before giving Giuliano Simeone the opportunity to move between the defenders and head towards the goal, taking advantage of the lack of pressure on the playmaker, which exposed the entire defense.

In the second leg, the same scenario repeated itself with Eric Garcia's sending off, as Atletico Madrid managed to break through Barcelona's pressure and reach Marcos Llorente, who found himself unmarked. This gave Alexander Sorloth enough time to move and exploit the space behind the defense, before the play ended with a challenge that led to the sending off.

The report added that the goal scored by Lookman reflected the same defensive pattern, where the pressure on the ball carrier was delayed, allowing an easy pass to Antoine Griezmann, before Marcos Llorente exploited the space and ran behind the defense, with Eric Garcia hesitating, leading to the movement being perfectly utilized inside the penalty area.

The newspaper emphasized that these clips highlight the risks associated with Flick's style of play, where any mistake in executing the press exposes spaces behind the defense, giving the opponent a clear advantage, especially given the speed of play in European tournaments.

The report confirmed that this approach, despite its risks, was the reason for Barcelona's success over the past two seasons and their achievement of titles. However, it also requires significant physical effort, which is reflected in the frequent absences, such as Raphinha's absence during this match.