Johan Cruyff may have been forgiven for permitting himself a chuckle, while watching Barca lose to Ajax in Amsterdam on Tuesday night- but I suspect he was as saddened by the visitors as he was encouraged by the courage and dedication of some of the home team.
Not known for his modesty, Johan has felt estranged from FC Barcelona for some time, abdicating the role of honorary VIP rather than endorse with his presence in the Nou Camp the presidency of Sandro Rosell.
Behind the clash of egos has been Cruyff’s suggestion that Barca post-Guardiola is losing an identity built over decades- with Barca, far from being more than a club, becoming like any other club driven by money and the determination to make more of it, whatever the means.
Barca’s performance the Amsterdam arena was so poor that it raised serious questions about the Martino effect. Not only was Barca’s unbeaten record broken, but it was relinquished by a team that seemed to lack style, cohesion, and passion.
This was Barca unrecognisable from the heyday of the Guardiola period which itself was a reincarnation of Cruyff’s dream team period. The mid-field was inconsequential, quick passing and possession virtually absent and even attempted moments of creativity, like Neymar’s scissor kick turned into farce.
Since taking over as coach, Tata Martino has focused on producing football he believed is more likely to win. But last night the long-ball failed as did the strikes at goal, the advance of defenders into attack was laboured, and Pinto’s idiosyncrasies risked defeat by a greater margin.As for the untried youngsters on the bench, they should have been played from the outset.
This was Barca not only without ambition, but without transition, without rhythm, weak in defence and ineffectual in attack. When is Neymar going to score in the Champion’s League? This was a Barca evidently playing without passion, let alone joy- one could almost sense players like Xavi and Iniesta deliberately showing up their unhappiness with Martino’s system before their legendary icon. The baby had been thrown out with the bathwater.
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