The morning after the loss yesterday, and I guess all of us Culers feel the same. It’s always bad to lose the ‘El Clasico’ clash, and FC Barcelona lost yesterday. However, we should remember that it’s only the start of the season, and the important thing is to rise above the loss itself. Therefore, what are the main points that we should take from this loss? I want to start with the good points:
5 Good Points:
- It’s not great that FC Barcelona lost yesterday, but it’s not the end of the world. Pep and Lucho lost some of the matches against Real Madrid and went on to have magnificent time at FC Barcelona. We should also remember that it’s only the start of the season, and both teams are in a transitional phase. So let’s not forget that.
- Ansu Fati becomes the youngest player to ever score in ‘El Clasico’, which is an amazing thing. Yesterday, Koeman started him as the main striker, and he did well against a much more experienced defense. We should all remember that Ansu Fati was a striker thru most of his La Masia years, so he has options to play there, if the coach wants. This kid has tons of potential, and seeing him kiss the badge reminded us of young Leo Messi kissing the badge in ‘El Clasico’.
- The starting lineup of Koeman was good. I guess that Koeman wanted to have more players that can help the two defensive midfielders. As De Jong and Busquets had to face Casemiro, Valverde and Kroos in the middle of the pitch. Therefore, having Coutinho and Pedri as players that can help them did make sense. Moreover, with Dest and Alba going forward a lot, Coutinho and Pedri were critical in the midfield.
- Welcome Sergino Dest. Arguably our best player yesterday. Moreover, as FC Barcelona lost another game because of our slow defense, Dest showed that he is playing in ‘El Clasico’ level. He is very young and things can always go wrong, but it seems like we got our Right Back for years to come.
- Hopefully, it was the last match of our board.
5 Bad Points
- I don’t know if it was the pressure or something else, but Koeman handled the substitutions in a very bad way. Why on earth did he wait until the 82 minute to throw in everybody? This game screamed changes from the end of the first half, but they didn’t come until very late in the match. Hopefully, it was a one-time thing, and we’ll see better subs coming from the next match.
- Yeah the Penalty was a 50-50 decision, and if it went the other way I don’t think that the ref would call for it. But it doesn’t take the blame out of Lenglet. What a stupid foul by our Frenchman. Why would you do that?
- Pedri on the right wing seemed lost. I don’t know if it was his position, or if it was the excitement of the ‘El Clasico’, but FC Barcelona lost the battle on the right wing from the start. Hopefully, he will play more centrally from now on, as he feels much better there.
- The match screamed that we need a right wing. Trincao or Dembele could bring a lot to us. Sadly, they both came in very late.
- Messi looked very bad. He looks like a broken man, and it hurts to see him that way. Moreover, Messi’s 6 straight matches without scoring or assisting in ‘El Clasico’ is a new record.
Bottom line – FC Barcelona Lost ‘El Clasico’
With this loss, Barcelona are now 9 points behind Real Madrid, with a game less. But it’s only the start of the season and there is plenty of time to turn it around. But hopefully, the loss yesterday will fuel the changes that need to come in the office. Only then the club will be able to really see the changes that they need.
