A Barcelona KO that could have unforeseen consequences

A Barcelona KO that could have unforeseen consequences

Barcelona are out of the Champions League. A knock-out which we don't know what the consequences will be for a team that has 'disappeared' in the last three weeks. They have hit a barren spell and the crisis could cause them to lose a league they had already won. The footballing disaster started with the international break and has taken us to this sad defeat against Atletico. A defeat produced by the impotence of footballers without ideas and without legs. 

Barcelona flirted with disaster through the first half. Without football and without pushing, Barcelona spent 45 minutes at the mercy of an intense Atletico who had very clear ideas. Lucho's team, physically and mentally were incapable of arriving at Oblak's goal, while Griezmann headed home to turn the game on its head.

Especially lamentable in the first half were full-backs Alves and Alba, who became black holes for Barcelona. Their errors were motorways for Atletico, who created danger every time they gave the ball away. The turth is that the whole team was at a weak level. Because Rakitic made every mistake he could and the trident were nowhere to be seen. 

The unique hope of getting to the semi finals was to have a second half like at Camp Nou. In that game Barcelona launched a comeback after two Suarez goals and a ferocious 45 minutes. On Wednesday, Barcelona needed an epic moment to get back ahead. But that's not their style. They don't know how to play like that. 

And they fell into Atletico's trap. Fights. Tangents. Time-wasting. And Blaugrana desperation. And to make things worse, a clear penalty for handball against Gabi was not given. A robbery that doesn't justify Barcelona's bad game. Goodbye to the Champions League. Goodbye to the treble. Goodbye, maybe, to a lot of other things.