Another remontada... or the end of a cycle

Director de Información Deportiva de Prensa Ibérica

Dybala fue una pesadilla para la defensa del Barça | sport

11/04/2017 Upd. at 22:49 CEST

Miracles only happen once. And Barça used theirs against PSG. The painful 3-0 loss to Juventus means they have to dream of another epic comeback. But the Italians are not the French. And Allegri is not Emery. Juve's defence won't wobble at Camp Nou. They will not suffer a panic attack. We have to dream of the comeback, but this miracle is almost impossible.

And I write almost almost almost because the real Barça, the Barça that beat PSG 6-1 and danced past Sevilla in a scandolous first half, would be capable of coming close. But this real Barça has disappeared via black magic. And I am not speaking about the inconsistency of this season, but of the humbling of the last week. First in Malaga, throwing La Liga. And now on Tuesday, with a KO in Turin.

Barcelonismo must cling on to the small amount of hope that exists. But it's more a question of faith than confidence. And of fear. Panic about thinking what coud happen if Barça are knocked out of the Champions League. Because the convulsion will be total. And from the disaster will come the end of the cycle. With the need to take measures at the end of the season to re-model the team. Starting with the coaching staff. Can they back Unzue after this failure?

LUIS ENRIQUE's FAULT

Luis Enrique takes a large portion of the blame for the loss in Turin because he threw the first half. He made a huge error playing Mathieu. And the French defender was part of a poor back line which allowed Dybala to score two goals in the first 22 minutes. From failings in defence to a lack of efficiency in attack, with Messi struggling to find space and Mascherano struggling to fill in for Busquets.

The Asturian coach admitted his error by bringing Andre Gomes on at half-time, pushing Mascherano back into defence. With the introduction of the Portuguese, Barça tried to regain control in defence, with Mathieu the player sacrificed.

It was not enough. Even though the play improved, Juve are so experienced that they kept on top. They were well positioned, defended well and Chiellini took advantage of being marked by Mascherano to head home his side's third goal from a corner. Definitive. Goodbye to the Champions League? Almost almost almost.