FC Barcelona – La Liga Opinion of Raul Varela
We all liked David Albelda, who even missed a European Championship. None of us were fans of Southampton in 2014 or Everton two years later. Nobody understood the stubbornness in signing Memphis Depay. We did not like when he cried to the referee as Sevilla’s sporting director Monchi said, we were surprised seeing Frenkie de Jong play at centre-back and except for a lost soul, if they had asked us, we would bet that he would not last until Christmas.
And he managed. Boy, he did it. With great dignity and high-mindedness. Being the spokesperson for a headless club at which every day they talked about the arrival of Xavi Hernandez and the departure of Lionel Messi, as if he were invisible, while Atletico Madrid opened the gap at the LaLiga Santander table and his team’s numbers, because of way they played and the injuries, incited almost historical forecasts that Barcelona may not get a Champions League spot.
Without knowing how or why, he hit the nail on its head on a Sunday. Suddenly Clement Lenglet stopped giving away penalties. Pedri made Leo smile. Sergio Busquets is competing again with Casemiro for who LaLiga’s top midfielder is. The full backs became wingers and even Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele took down the ‘for sale’ signs. Even La Masia has reopened its doors to the first team and as far as picked up points are conceded Barcelona are on the way to a record, having mustered 48 of the available 54.
The Catalans are not leaders, but they seem to be.
And they check out and analyse the calendar. And they give each other feedback because they host Atleti at the Camp Nou and their visit to Valdebebas to face Real Madrid will be in between their two legs against Liverpool in the Champions League without margin for rest for Los Blancos. This is called a downwind. At the stern and under full sail.
The elections have passed and the only problem right now at Barcelona seems to be still rooted in the offices. Joan Laporta‘s charisma has not helped him to avoid the first resignation of a campaign member and the notable difficulties to get a guarantee, something that was supposedly managed beforehand.
Taking into account that the elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain is already amortised by a meritorious draw against Kylian Mbappe’s team in Paris and the pending Copa del Rey final is presented as the mother of all the finals, what more are we asking for in a year that has been labelled as a transition one.
It was not necessary to write his name. You know who I mean. I am talking about Ronald Koeman and all that he has achieved through mistakes and successes. Yesterday he blew out candles and couldn’t have had a better birthday present. It matters little that he is the least Cruyffista of the Cruyffistas. We didn’t even give him a hundred days and who knows if he’s going to win a hundred months with a contract renewal.
One by one we get in line. I’ll go first. My apologies.
