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Barcelona, ​​small against the big

2022-10-28T10:51:54.738Z


The azulgrana, who suffered in defense against the powers of Europe and against Madrid, leave Laporta's levers without effect


When the last classic ended, still with the footballers at the Bernabéu, the Madrid players commented among themselves on Barça's defensive fragility, especially surprised by the state of mind and football of the youngest.

“The kids were shaking.

Back you are a flan ”, he released, half jokingly, half seriously, one from Madrid to a colleague of his from Barcelona.

From the outset, Xavi had lined up Sergi Roberto, Koundé, Eric García and Balde.

And the scoreboard turned white: 3-1.

The analysis made by the Madrid dressing room after the Clásico is not too far from the one carried out in Barcelona's Ciudad Deportiva after the defeat in the Champions League against Bayern (0-3).

“The reality is that when the three central defenders fell (Koundé has already recovered, but Araujo and Christensen have not) the team has fallen apart.

Everything is related.

You can have the best strikers, but if they don't feel safe with the defenders, you have a problem”, they point out in Sant Joan Despí.

The duel at the Bernabéu left as many laughs in the white dressing room as fights in the box.

The Barça expedition, with President Joan Laporta at the helm, had Xavi in ​​their sights.

Some of the managers were surprised by Laporta's anger.

Others, who claim to know him better, say that he is very temperamental.

“He gets over it fast,” they explain.

In the sports area, they agree: "He is very emotional."

The same sources stress, however, that after falling in the Champions League, Xavi is not in danger.

In any case, the message for the coaching staff is unequivocal: “We have to win something.

We have made a great effort."

The effort of the board translates into selling assets for 727 million (Laporta's levers) to sign for 153. An investment in the squad that went unnoticed against Bayern.

“Barça make plays, but they don't play.

They have quality, but they don't go well with pressure nor are they intense”, explained a member of Nagelsmann's coaching staff after the duel at the Camp Nou.

A thesis with which Pedri agreed: “They have surpassed us in intensity”.

In the Barça football department they deepened the analysis: "With the starting defense, in Munich we compete", they say, referring to the defense that Xavi lined up with Koundé, Araujo, Christensen and Alonso at Allianz.

“Without them, no”, add the same sources;

“The quality of the groups is measured by their substitutes.

And we still have to improve in that aspect”.

This Wednesday, Barça took the field with Bellerín, Koundé, Marcos Alonso and Balde.

However, Xavi's team was speechless before the physical power of Nagelsmann's boys.

“Football has evolved.

Players with Barça DNA are needed, but physically strong.

Watch the Premier, talented athletes.

In the Bundesliga they mix technique with physique.

Here, we are only aware of the technical ”, they insist in the sports area.

And then, why didn't Barcelona reinforce itself better?

“The reality is that we are blocked”, they defend themselves.

Piqué was singled out in the duel against Inter at the Camp Nou and Alba has only played one game in the Champions League: against Viktoria Plzen.

“Without them, we would have had more salary margin to bring reinforcements.

In the end, we had to make do with players who practically didn't charge anything, like with Alves last year”, maintains a source from the economic area.

In the sports management they will try to do without Alba and Piqué in the next winter market.

The heavyweights, for their part, defend themselves: "They ask us to lower our salary and sign players who earn more than us."

The only one of the captains who took the field against Bayern was Busquets, along with Ter Stegen, who were also protagonists of the last Champions League that Barça won in 2015.

Since then, with or without Messi, the azulgrana have been walking their sorrow around Europe.

"With Leo, at least, we played the Champions League," defends a club employee.

With Messi, Barça competed in Spain (they won the League in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019).

"Now, not even that," the same sources insist.

Xavi's team got stuck at the Bernabéu in the same way that they ran out of arguments in the Champions League, especially against Bayern.

"It does not give us to compete with the greats of Europe", they finish off in the offices.

They know it in Madrid, they have known it for a long time in Munich.

Xavi's Barça, then, with or without a financial injection, will have to fight again for the Europa League.

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Source: elparis

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