BarcelonaEurope is like an implacable judge who puts you in your place. And Manchester United have reminded Xavi’s Barça that everything they have done in the League is very good but that if they want to keep growing they will have to put in more effort. Too nervous and unstable, Barça have achieved a draw that allows them to reach the duel at Old Trafford with options. Europe seems to enjoy torturing Barça, making it suffer, putting sticks in its wheels. The defensive solidity that the team shows every week in La Liga evaporated every time Marcus Rashford took the ball and made his own in a chaotic game, with moments of beauty but without order. This team is hungry and clinging to the competition tooth and nail. In the end, he almost won a match that a few months ago, he would have lost for sure.
If the duel against the English should have served to confirm that Barça is back at the table of the big European clubs, it has been quite the opposite. A note of caution, a warning for boaters. They will have to plunder Old Trafford if Barça want to stay alive in Europe, after an evening of football that could have consequences in the coming weeks, since in addition to losing their firmness in defense, Pedri has also been lost, injured. When, before the break, the canary fell to the field of play, with a grimace of pain, the entire Barcelona community felt a stab in the heart. To top it all off, his most faithful companion, Gavi, will miss the card return.
The match arrived marked by these payments to the referees in the past that tarnish the image of the club. And Xavi wants the ball to be the redeemer, the one that drives away conspiracy theories by uniting Barcelona fans. But Barça needs football against a United that has ended up suffering, since in the absence of control Barça have left their soul in somewhat chaotic attacks that have almost served to win a match that seemed to be completely lost once the second part has entered. Raphinha, author of the tie, ended up punching the bench, frustrated at not being able to finish the game. The character that the team needs, with players who overcome the blows.
Tactical plays
The results in the League invited optimism in a game where if someone had made a mistake, playing the Champions League anthem instead of the Europa League, nothing would have happened. Modern football cannot be understood without Barça and Manchester United, global giants, winning clubs that seek to regain the space they have lost in recent years. It was a game to enjoy. And the two teams had so much respect that both Xavi Hernández and Erik Ten Hag moved the team, trying to surprise the rivals. Like chess players who make an unexpected first move in order to gain an advantage. Xavi has put Araujo on the right in a defense of three, accompanied by Marcos Alonso and Kounde. Jordi Alba was freed from fullback, sent to the trenches, to attack. But Manchester United also had hidden surprises and moved Rashford away from Araujo, making him attack through the middle. Weghorst, a striker as tall as a Sant Pau, has played almost as a midfielder. The Dutchman, who forgave all by himself against Ter Stegen in the 0-1 in the first half, was left with the same drooling face of that day that Messi faced him in the World Cup, when he saw how Gavi, a dwarf 20 centimeters shorter than him, he beat him by more than one ball. Gavi defies the laws of physics.
Solid in the League, Barça has quickly understood that Europe operates under different laws. It is not a game for children, even if it is not the Champions League. Competitive and enterprising, Manchester United has turned Ter Stegen into Barça’s savior angel. The German made two meritorious saves in a first half in which Barça also did damage, but without aiming. Lewandowski looked particularly motivated, but was playing too far from the English area. It was an interesting exchange of blows, with plays on the edge of regulation and the fans remembering Casemiro. A fan who put their hands on their heads when Pedri, who wasn’t playing around, was injured. His injury was an ominous bird, as if whatever he did Barça was destined to be defeated, the victim of a spell. It wouldn’t be like that.
And look at Marcos Alonso’s header, at the far post, for the first goal from a corner. Look and finger in the sky in memory of the father, who knew how to score goals at the second post. But Marcus Rashford was keen to play. The English striker, mischievous and hard-skinned after overcoming racist attacks, injuries and doubts, has mortified Barça. First, all legs, he raced past Alonso to beat Ter Stegen with a cross shot. Less than five minutes later, he turned Jordi Alba into a toy and his cross ended with an own goal by Kounde, who played a terrible game and nothing came of it. United, as they had already done in 1999 in the Champions League final against Bayern, lifted a match at Camp Nou in just five minutes. As if it were easy.
He just had to let go of his soul and play with fire. The English could have made the third, but the tie has arrived with a cross from a Raphinha who is slowly becoming loved. Looking for Lewandowski’s finish, he scored the goal that scared the visitors, who went on to accept the tie as valid. Only Barça wanted to win, in the end, without Raphinha, who saw the Camp Nou whistle their change for Ferran Torres, as they wanted to continue enjoying the Brazilian’s runs. It couldn’t be. No Raphinha, no triumph. Ansu, very active, has also been a few centimeters from the goal in a game where the Camp Nou claimed a penalty at the hands of English rather dubious. The draw, seeing much of the game, is not a bad result. But Xavi knows that, defending like this, European competitions will continue to be torture. This team, however, seems ready to revolt against the cruel fate of recent years in Europe.
- FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Araujo, Kounde, Marcos Alonso (Christensen, 66th), Jordi Alba (Balde, 66th), De Jong, Kessie (Ansu Fati, 66th), Pedri (Sergi Roberto, 41st), Gavi , Lewandowski is the left-back (Ferran Torres, 83′).
- Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Shaw, Malacia, Casemiro, Fred, Sancho (Garnacho, 81′), Bruno Fernandes, Rashford and Weghorst.
- Goals: 1-0 Marcos Alonso (50′), 1-1 Marcus Rashford (53′), 1-2 Kounde in his own goal (59′), 2-2 Raphina (76′).
- Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy).
- Yellow cards: Jordi Alba (29′), Varane (42′), Casemiro (65′), Ten Hag (66′), Malacia (72′), Gavi (73′).
- Red cards: None.
- Stadium: Spotify Camp Nou (90,225 spectators).