Graham Hunter
If, during the international break, you share a drink with a fan of Barcelona who tries to tell you that their Mauling 4-1 in Seville would have been different if Robert Lewandowski had not weighed a penalty and Roony Bardghji had not missed a 2-1 goalkeeper, then smiling in a spit, paying for their drink and making sure to go home.
They are in denial. Big Time. Fear considers his football soul as a rat in the wood of a kitchen closet.
Yes, the big and the “last embers of a Polish striker in the past” could have been 2-2 if he had converted to 12 meters. And yes, in this hypothetical scenario, the young Swedish Dardant could then have made 2-3 to the title champions of Laliga, which means that, just like those who will fish, we are all entitled to “the one who escaped” great stories which are very recession.
But Hansi Flick’s team deserved not only their mutiling, which could have seen them 5-1 at halftime: this defeat, and its categorical nature, has been on cards for weeks.
Barça has played almost exactly 1,000 competitive minutes this season, on eight matches at the national level and two in Europe. Speaking generously, Barcelona played a good level for about 480 minutes – 48%. It is a failure rate, and no type of acceptable level of performance, if a club not only wishes to keep its status of three trophies but, via the UEFA Champions League, improve it.
Do not believe me, even if I am correct – go back and listen to the post -match press conferences of Flick and read the words of the players.
The first signal they did not age, but drowning came day 1. leading to Nine-Man Malorca, including a 2-0 goal that the referee committee then admitted should not have been authorized to stand, after Barcelona Lazy, a German and complacent coach, but their deeply abundant German coach. “I did not like our performance-we played about 50%,” he said. “We have to better manage the games and be intense … even when it seems easy to beat nine men.”
They received the absolute newly promoted Levante stream, dragging 2-0 at the break, even if it could easily have been four or five, but Joan García saved their skin. Far from Rayo Vallecano, once again, they were nicknamed, fell from their comfort zone, have considerably exceeded XG and, ultimately, very lucky to escape with a draw instead of a defeat.
“We made too many mistakes, we did not control the game via the ball,” said Flick after this match. That he added this infamous expression, “last year, we were an appropriate team, but the ego kills success”, was devastating, especially when it is left there, without the player (s) – or the directors – in question. The next day, the Catalan newspaper influential, Diario Sport warned in their editorial: “Flick it is better to be careful … at this rate, it might not arrive at the end of the season.” Amazing.
The real oviédo have been created and recently underestimated punch holes in the press and the defense of Barcelona, although the possible 3-1 Blaugrana Winning at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere is one of the four liga games in which they conceded first and had to set up a raised. An exciting vision for neutrals, but not the cachet of the champions.
Go to Sunday and the Argentinian coach of Seville, Matías Almeyda, gathered all the Blaugrana Weaknesses he had witnessed, promised his players that Barça suffered from a glass jaw, lungs and lead legs.
The war cry worked.
Seville trampled everywhere in the Catalans. If they had converted their blatant chances of goal and added to the four they scored, they would have broken their record score almost 80 years against Barça (4-0 in 1947).
Just a little titbit. I was watching the match alongside the legend of Seville Diego Capel. Do you remember the animated winger, cheeky and fast left, who played alongside footballers like Freddie Kanouté and who marked during the victory of Copa Del Rey of Seville over Atlético Madrid? (He scored at Camp Nou twice in this Copa race: once to eliminate the Pep Guardiola team, and once in this final victory.)
Capel still lives in the hottest city in Europe, the frying pan, still likes the club that he supported because he was a boy, and he becomes green if you mention the real Betis playing well. But like a large part of Spain, it has been conditioned that if your team dominates Barcelona (or Real Madrid), then concedes, as Seville did it just before half-time the thunderous volley of Marcus Rashford, so that’s all: the big boys will win. THE Blaugrana And Los blancos Do it again and again – metronomic if you are a fan of one or the other, in a monotonous way if you are not.
The poor old capel went through Torment when Barcelona scored this glorious goal with a gold -plated Pedri help. Just as when Adnan Januzaj conceded that the sadly famous penalty lacked penalty and, five minutes later, when Roony had a cold stone chance but struck the Greek goalkeeper of Seville, Odideas Vlachodimos.
Lateral note, reader: I told Capel that he was too pessimistic and that Barcelona, the chances of the one, played very badly again. So, here, when we both met after work, he admitted: “You were right, you told me.”
On what extent, it is probably appropriate to be a little examined here.
In my first ESPN chronicle of the new season, exactly eight weeks ago, I wrote: “Is Barcelona the only club in the world where you could explain to a neutral observer the level of chaotic and acrimonious threat from which they suffer and always predict that they are the favorites to win two or three domestic trophies this season?”
Well, now: “Favorites” looks like a fairly impactful prediction for the moment! It’s time to admit this. However, it is too early to completely abandon the prediction, and neither Madrid nor Atléti resemble banker bets to eliminate the title of Barcelona.
If Barcelona fans want to present a case that some of their problems are inspired from outside, then, very well. From week to week, the team does not know where they will play their home games: Stade Johan Cruyff? Montjuïc Olympic Stadium? Camp Nou, as their president remains promising?
They are seriously missing Lamine Yamal and Raphinha when they are injured, and seriously lacked Iñigo Martínez, who was authorized to repel a free transfer as a friendly gesture to the defensive chief to whom Flick was counting.
Finally: the relationship between the board of directors and the coach and the squad was corroded by the treatment of Marc-André Ter Stegen (Flick: “Everything related to communication has always been managed in the best possible way? I think there is a lot of room for improvement, even on my part.”) And by the Deco sports director, the constantly permanent financial fair to see the game of financial fair.
Very disturbing. All this.
2:08
Laurens Slams High Line de Barcelona to play in the hands of PSG
Julien Laurens says that Barcelona has only for their late defense which allowed PSG to win a 2-1 victory in the Champions League.
But what about the physical form of the team? His endurance? Barça looks jaded all season, except against Valence (which was excruciating) and in their best performance, in Newcastle United. When they are poor in energy or deficient in attitude, the press is suffering, opponents have time to think and pass with precision and, like the night, the defense of Barcelona.
Pedri, after the defeat of Seville, said: “Horrible performance. We did not seem to know what to do with the ball. We lack intensity and quality.”
If the side of Flick does not resume their level of pressing, then they will have to change the way they defend, or they can embrace the hope of winning a trophy this season.
Laliga’s own football intelligence statistics show incredibly that one of the most exciting sides of the press and the ordinate, anywhere in Europe, now recovers the balloon from rivals via plates or interceptions at a lower pace than Laliga average. A devastating course.
Flick said on Sunday: “After the internationals, we will be back, fighting to win each competition.”
His talk show like “we will be back after the break!” The promise could have been the correct tone, generic, but unless its team leads a massive reset, dust off its former warlike attitude, maintains the key players in shape and, no doubt, starts to enhance the ego, then many more problems are found.
