It seems that no matter how much Barcelona continues to falter and record disappointing results, Catalonia is having a hard time digesting the fact that the team currently belongs to the middle class in Spain. After Xavi’s players dropped points for the third time in a row in the league, in a 2-2 draw against Osasuna yesterday (Sunday), commentators in the local media analyzed the dismal situation.
“The kids have humiliated the stars,” a sports opinion column wrote after Nico, Abda and the young Gabi were prominent on the team, while the older ones, like Gerard Pique and Frankie de Jong for example, once again displayed disappointing ability. “It’s a sensation that Barça twice lose an advantage against a team with a quarter of its budget. Abda was the best and made the team completely forget Dembele in the first half, when Luc de Jong did nothing but show he would never understand Barça’s style of play.”
It added: “The difference between young people and those with high wages is so great that even Xavi admitted that it is not the most positive thing, because Barcelona is currently dependent on children between 17, 18 and 19, and so it will be very difficult to meet even such a minimal goal as Achieving fourth place in the league. “
Another commentator tried to be more optimistic and put the focus on those rising talents that should bring the team back to the top in the future. “This is Barça without the present, but with a future,” he wrote. “Nico, Abda and Gabby were the engine of a team that was too soft to maintain the advantage in a game that was a must win. The league has long been lost, but now the ticket to the Champions League in danger and finishing in fourth place seems like an achievement. The current Barça is so mediocre “.
The Blaugrana were also criticized for their weak character: “The knockout in the Champions League was painful and raised expectations for a response that would allow the future to be looked at with optimism. But none of that was. “You have to do magic in the transfer window to get rid of the unnecessary players and get the reinforcements that will give some air to Xavi’s team.”
In another matter, Radio Marca claimed this morning that the striker who joined the team last summer, Sergio Aguero, will announce his retirement from football this coming Wednesday. As you may recall, the Argentine who arrived at Blaugrana this summer after a decade at Manchester City has not played since October 30, so was substituted in the game against Alabs after feeling chest pains. Tests carried out by the striker found problems in his heart, which are expected to lead to the end of his career at the age of 33.
According to a report by Emilio Perez de Rossas, Barcelona have already prepared a special ceremony for Aguero, who since arriving at the team has managed to play only 165 minutes and score one goal in the loss to Real Madrid.