an improved Barca suffered the same punishment as the worst versions of Barça. He lost again to the bayernand in Munichwhere he has never won in his life, showing himself powerless to lift the weight of history.
Barça needed a round game and it only came out oval: he wasted several opportunities to get ahead on the scoreboard and a marking error precipitated the decline. Lucas Hernandez he headed only one corner, in the goal area, the day that there were more centimeters in the team, and without time to assimilate the disgust or enough integrity not to lose the oremus, I healed he also slipped in just under the noses of Ter Stegen to place a too wide difference for a Barça that returned rebuilt.
The good feelings that Xavi had remained in that, in feelings, which were not transferred to the scoreboard. Perhaps the improvement made will serve to beat Bayern at the Camp Nou and overthrow him from the lead he has risen to by beating his two worst enemies with the same results. If they beat Viktoria twice, they will be in the round of 16.
a supernatural explanation
Lewanddowski made a mistake on the most inopportune day and Pedri hit the post for what could have been 2-1.
Not only did he overcome the worst enemies, but he came out unscathed from the return of Robert Lewandowski. There is only one explanation, and a supernatural one, for the errors of the almost infallible Lewandowski, and that is that he felt strange finishing off against his former team of the last eight years. Pedri, who did not know anyone, hit the post at the last opportunity to prevent Barça’s fate against Bayern from continuing.
Xavi resisted the temptation to change the system, despite the fact that the circumstances (and previous experiences) would invite a coach to cover himself more defensively. He didn’t, and kept the usual 4-3-3. Bayern wanted to surprise by removing the attack front with the transfer of Mané to the left wing and placing Müller as the most advanced man. Xavi later copied him by changing wings to the interiors and wingers and changing Koundé and Araujo to the wing and center, to return them to their natural position.
useless centimeters
Among the novelties that he wanted to present in an eleven in which only five survivors from last year remained (Ter Stegen, Araujo, Gavi, Busquets and Dembélé), he chose Christensen and Marcos Alonso. Two footballers of centimeters to defend the aerial game and with experience to handle high-end duels. Centimeters that were useless with the appearance of Lucas Hernández. It is in defense where Barça changes the most, perhaps because the level between its components is more even; forward, the combination of midfielders and forwards has been repeated in four of the six games.
Neuer stopped more than Ter Stegen and Bayern endured unscathed until the break.
It seemed justified. With the exception of Dembélé, the most irregular of all, the others have no one to discuss the position with them, at the moment. As much as Raphinha lost several duels with Davies, who Lewandowski missed two clear chances that would be understood in Braithwaite, Said with all due respect, and that Pedri is missed at times because his brilliant actions are even more highlighted by his disappearances.
level interiors
Pedri is a fundamental player for his creative ability and the calm he exhibits under pressure, as was the case last night with the fierce appearances of Kimmich or Sabitzer every time he received the ball. He wriggled free each time thanks to his peripheral vision, fleeing at the same time from the predictable snag. With the patience of a goldsmith he got right under Neuer’s nose and he hit the post.
Fundamental has been done Gavi, who is still there ten months later, enduring in the team and enduring the team, with that courage to go to the clash and that perseverance in offering himself to the teammate when he does not have the ball, even knowing that perhaps the uncheck is useless. He defended his own goal with the same determination that he appeared in that of Neuer, Bayern’s best player. The wear and the 2-0 withdrew him from the field when an urgent reaction to the general collapse was needed.
Neuer for much more
Neuer stopped much more than Ter Stegen to prevent the marker from moving before for the outsiders. He put in his foot, his hand, his body, and Bayern withdrew into the break relieved, also due to a missed penalty from Davies to Dembélé, with a zero on goal. Nothingness was for once an extraordinary treasure.
Scared had finished the German champion, who felt insecure for the first time in years against Barça. Until he dealt two blows that denounced the fragility of Barça’s soul and the team, shocked, shrank, between the weight of the marker and that of history.
The stadium was never silent even in the worst moments, crowded, that from time to time the entire capacity stands up when one of the funds sings for everyone who is from Bayern to get up. The 1,600 culés concentrated in a corner were silenced. Lewandowski’s 600 Polish fans were flattened every time the idol missed an opportunity on the most inopportune day.
Data sheet
BAYERN: Neuer (8); Pavard (5), Upamecano (7), Lucas (7); Davis (7); Kimmich (6), Sabitzer (5); Sané (6), Musiala (5), Mané (4); Mueller (5).
Technical: Julian Nagelsman (6).
Changes: Mazraoui (6) by Pavard (d. 21); Goretzka (5) by Sabitzer (d. 46); Gnabry (sc) by Mané (d. 70); Tel (sc) by Sané (d. 80); Gravenberch (sc) by Musiala (d. 80).
BARCELONA: Ter Stegen (6); Koundé (7), Araujo (6), Christensen (6), Marcos (6); Gavi (7), Busquets (6), Pedri (7); Raphinha (5), Lewandowski (5), Dembele (5).
Technical: Xavi Hernandez (5).
Changes: Ferran (6) by Raphinha (d. 61); Of Jong (6) by Gavi (m. 61); Eric (6) by Christensen (d. 70); Ansu (sc) by Dembélé (m. 80); Kessié (sc) by Busquets (d. 80).
goals: 1-0 (m. 50), Lucas heads just one corner; 2-0 (m. 54), Sané stands before Ter Stegen and surpasses him by low.
Referee: Danny Makkelie (4), Dutch.
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cards: Sabitzer (d. 19), Busquets (d. 48), Kimmich (d. 74).
Stadium: Allianz Arena.