Barça have a lot to lose but little to gain

In the middle of unprecedented institutional agitation in recent years, with the previous president in jail and many unanswered questions in the air, Barcelona take on a Copa del Rey final as important as it is diluted by a surprisingly cold sporting atmosphere. Few more than 2,000 fans will officially go with the club, much fewer than in recent years. While Alaves will take on the game of their lives, Barcelona play a match where they have little to gain and a lot to lose. Barcelona aren’t just obliged to win the title but do it well and put on a show, something that will be difficult considering how motivated the opponents are.

The legal turbulence has put the final down a notch and Barcelonismo doesn’t have a lot of time to appreciate that this is a game with a lot of attractions, including this being the full stop on Luis Enrique’s era. It’s also the final game for many players ahead of a summer with lots of ins and outs on the way, to recover the lost competitiveness. In any case it’s good news that the ball is back in motion and the judicial tensions can be forgotten about for now. Like has happened many times in recent years, the team has to sustain the club: we know that at Barcelona wins on the pitch sweeten the internal disorder, and it’s happened for years and years. A curious paradox: On a day in which it seems that, for the atmosphere, Barcelona aren’t playing for a lot, really much more than a title is in play. Nothing more and nothing less than the social stability at the club and whether or not there will be a positive atmosphere when the new coach is announced on Monday.