You can exhale now. You’d be forgiven for thinking Barcelona wasn’t going to hold on against Atlético Madrid.
This continues to be a makeshift team who is struggling to find consistency and to form an identity.
The good news. Raphinha and Pedri are back, and they made all the difference as the Blaugrana stormed back from being one goal down after an all too familiar ball was slipped behind their high defensive line.
Pedri made a silky pass to the Brazilian captain to get the equalizer. From there, Raphinha willed his team forward keeping the energy high on the field and in the stands until finally Dani Olmo buried the goal to make it 2-1.
Barcelona isn’t clicking. In fact, they look like a team will is searching for a way forward.
You could see it in live time. Raphinha gesturing towards Lamine Yamal to join the press after several efforts of going it alone. Eric Garcia rifling a ball into no man’s land that accidently struck Ferran Torres, after a long period of failing to establish possession.
But a win is a win, and this one didn’t come easy.
Some unlikely faces had to close out the game. For 20 minutes they did nothing but defend, and they learned that sometimes that’s how it’s going to be. You suffer for the result, because you know how important the moment is.
I’m not sure if Barcelona can be a top team without Pedri and Raphinha on the field. They are going to have to address that growing dependency at some point.
Kudos to the unsung heroes on the day who put in a hard days work.
Gerard Martín isn’t a future world class center back, but he has been more than capable so far, and in doing so, he has allowed Pau Cubarsí to play from the right where he is more effective.
Dani Olmo isn’t dominating, but he’s scoring clutch goals. Sadly, just as he was starting to gain momentum, he could be sidelined with a freak injury, allowing Fermin López (when he returns from injury shortly) to make his way back into the starting lineup.
Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde are being asked to do the grunt work. They look tired, but they are holding strong and doing what’s necessary to help the team.
That’s all you can ask for.
Maybe this one was for Hansi Flick. The manager has come under pressure. Perhaps there’s more he could be doing to set the team up for success, but the locker room continues to fight for him.
That’s a big win against a talented and in form Atleti team.
If you’re Barcelona, you take it, and you continue to build and get better. At the center of that effort has to be a commitment to intensity.
Raphinha once again was led by example. If his teammates continue to follow in his footsteps, the wins will keep coming for Barcelona.
Today you learned to suffer. That lesson will be useful in the months to come.
