Well, well, it’s not the end of the world—we still have games left, we have the Champions League, we have football, we have time, yes, yes, okay, agreement, but let’s take a look at the rankings: 10. Manchester City; 11. Juventus; 12. Arsenal; 13. Bayer Leverkusen; 17. Bayern Munich; 18. Real Madrid—yes, yes, 18. Real Madrid; 20. AC Milan, who recently visited the Santiago Bernabéu; 23. Atlético; 25. Paris Saint-Germain—yes, indeed, those with the “you know nothing” chant end up in 25th place, so watch out! We still have matches to play, but we can also slip; the same match and at the same time. Some people are not ready to bury their heads in the sand.
For example, let’s take this fabulous FC Barcelona orchestrated by Hansi Flick, where it almost doesn’t matter who plays. Yes, they have a typical team, but with the return of injured players, things start to get complicated. Or actually, not really, they’re just having fun. Last night, for example, they had the luxury of bringing in their three bulldogs, the three fierce players (Cassadó, Fermín and Gavi)—incredible! Not only that, but he didn’t even take care to (totally) rest the boy he cherishes the most, the magnificent Dani Olmo.
This Barça not only possesses hunger, faith, desire, deployment and discipline, but it is also full of camaraderie, complicity, commitment, friendship and dedication among its players. They know they are good, believe they will be even better, play (almost) with their eyes closed, and above all, I am late to say this, they play according to the desires, demands and expectations of their coach ( remember what Flick said after defeating Espanyol: “Wednesday in Belgrade, I don’t want to see that second half again”). Unlike Real Madrid, who play according to the whims of their own players, in other words, lounging, as Carlo Ancelotti said.
Flick’s Barça is a global team that plays total football—a style that defends with risk (and wins) and attacks relentlessly, piling up goals: 29 in the last seven matches, or four goals per game, with just one to save, the first fraction of the fifth goal per game.
These are players who start by winning, get tied, then decide to score four more. Because they believe that their duty is to make their supporters happy, which can only be accomplished with intensity, significant deployment and efficiency in front of the opposing goal, unlike others. But mixed with all this, this team has power, strength and practices intense pressing.
And they show solidarity. In the 48th minute and 08 seconds: Gerard Martín, another newcomer, loses the ball in attack, on the left wing, and before he can retreat, he is joined by not one, but three teammates who galloping back down the wing in pursuit of the defender who took the ball from him: Raphinha, who is absolutely on fire, De Jong, who has miraculously returned—hallelujah!—and the earnest Cubarsí. That’s solidarity, not just sitting around with a full stomach.
But if you want tiki-taka, if you want the real DNA of Barça, rewind the video of the match to the 79th minute and 23 seconds and witness how the Blaugrana play with the opponent, passing here, passing there, going back and forth , you go there, I come here… until the 81st minute and 11 seconds. A pure delight, certainly not something to be taken lightly, but they had already scored five by then.
It’s hard to dream of big things, really. It’s hard to think that we are at the dawn of a new era, hard to believe that LaLiga will be a walk in the park and that we can win the Champions League. It’s difficult because we are coming from a miserable, dismal and entirely forgettable season, both in terms of behavior in the stands, on the pitch, and on the bench. And, of course, they inspire hope, excite you, but you hesitate, knowing what football really is.
However, seeing how this team competes—not just this team, but the entire squad—you have to remember what Johan Cruyff always said before the Champions League round of 16 or quarter-final draw. “Who don’t I want to shoot? Who am I worried about? You know what? As long as my team is good, they’re the ones who should be worried.” And this Barça is playing in such a way that the others should actually be worried.
By the way, I apologize; apparently Messi’s number 248—discovered by the world last night—was also on the pitch, right? Yes, it seems he is also 17 years old. Yes, according to what I read, he claimed that he would demonstrate that he was much better than Lamine Yamal, right? Did anyone say what his name was? Ah yes, Andrija Maksimovic, right? Well, I don’t know, I haven’t seen it. This is why I ask; I thought he was reserved.
PS I know there’s more to football than that; I know you can win LaLiga and become European champions with just one Spaniard on the pitch, I know, but last night Barça finished the match with nine academy graduates: Peña, Cubarsí, Domínguez, Martín , Cassadó, Pedri, Gavi, Fermín and Lamine Yamal.
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