Atletico de Madrid are through to the Champions League semi final because their defence held out brilliantly, they were magificent in attack, have a solid team spirit, and a manager that has motivated team and fans and is a good tactician.
FC Barcelona by contrast lacked all these qualities and were justly beaten on the night. But this not an end of an era. Barca remains a team with quality players although psychologically it is finding it hard to not take its own past success for granted.
It has a real problem of dependenacy on Messi. When Messi has a non-existant game, the team struggles to click. It doesn´t help if stars like Iniesta and Xavi have off nights too.
Barca is missing a decent goalkeepere, and a coach that has the necessary management skills and tactical imagination to take Barca to the great level it can still achieve.
It is also a club that continues to be disracted and overshadowed by politics and poor corporate management.
Barca need to stop believing it is that more thana club, and show some humility. It needs to rediscover the meaning of good football.
Comments