Rodri praised the result after Barcelona beat Real Betis 5-2 at La Cartuja, but his main point was defensive. The midfielder said, “The team is showing its attacking potential, but we are conceding quite a lot. That’s where we can improve.” Barcelona also conceded twice against Betis, and the warning lands with Paris Saint Germain away on 2026-10-20 and Real Madrid at home on 2026-10-25.

Rodri's warning after La Cartuja

“Very happy with the victory. This is one of the most difficult grounds in the league,” Rodri said after the match. That was a fair reflection of the night, because Barcelona still had enough quality to score five and still left with two goals against them.

The wider numbers back up his concern. Barcelona have conceded 9 goals in 9 La Liga matches, and they have kept only 1 clean sheet in their last 7 games. They have won all 9 of their league matches, so the points tally looks perfect, but the defence has not matched the attack for consistency.

The attack keeps bailing them out

Rodri's warning is sharper because the front end keeps covering for the rest. Lamine Yamal scored in the 10th minute at Betis, and [Hansi Flick] is already leaning on him heavily, but the team did not need one player to do everything. Barcelona had five different goalscorers against Betis: Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo.

Yamal has 8 La Liga goals and 6 assists this season, which helps explain why Barcelona keep finding ways through even when the game becomes messy. The issue is that the next two league fixtures are much less forgiving, and the margin for defensive lapses is smaller against Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid.

FAQ

Why is Rodri warning Barcelona after a 5-2 win?

Rodri praised the attack after Barcelona beat Real Betis 5-2 at La Cartuja, but he also said they are conceding quite a lot. Barcelona conceded twice against Betis and now have 9 goals against in 9 La Liga matches, with only 1 clean sheet in their last 7 games.

How do Barcelona look defensively before Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid?

The warning is about what comes next. Barcelona go away to Paris Saint Germain on 2026-10-20 and host Real Madrid on 2026-10-25, and Rodri’s concern is that the team are still giving up too many chances despite winning 5-2 at Real Betis.

What did Rodri say about Barcelona’s performance at Real Betis?

Rodri said, 'The team is showing its attacking potential, but we are conceding quite a lot. That’s where we can improve.' He also said he was very happy with the victory and described La Cartuja as one of the most difficult grounds in the league.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →