You can’t ask for much more than that if you’re a Barcelona fan.
Hansi Flick wanted his team to believe and give the chance at a remontada their all, and that’s exactly what they did.
They played with intensity, creativity, and a sense of urgency. All the ingredients you need to make a comeback possible when you come into the second leg of the semi-final down 0-4.
It came down to the final seconds, and looking back, the disallowed Pau Cubarsí goal at the Metropolitano made all the difference.
You can’t
blame the effort or the tactics in this one. Flick will be pleased, and should be credited for the decisions he made to put his team in a position to make the impossible happen.
One thing seems clear though, comebacks like this aren’t magic. You also need to have the players on the field who can make the plays.
If there were questions before, I think they should now be answered, that Barcelona need to prioritize finding a striker over the summer. What they have at their disposal this season is holding back the team from reaching their potential.
Robert Lewandowski is 37 years old, and he wasn’t able to feature in the second leg after picking up an injury. Would it have made a difference? Maybe off the bench he could have been the one to poach the equalizer. As a starter, Barcelona needed legs, and he wouldn’t have been able to give them the intensity that they needed.
Ferran Torres, who got the nod, isn’t exactly a world class pressing machine either. At his best, he’s the shark, but on his off nights, which we see too often, he either disappears, or makes it into the highlights for missing goals he should have put away.
Ferran, if he sticks around, is a good super sub. But in the biggest matches, Barcelona should be realistic about what they can expect from him.
Marc Bernal was the goal scoring hero in this one. That’s incredible for the young holding midfielder who is back to his best after a long time away recovering from a tough ACL injury. He is currently taking his chance, with Frenkie de Jong away, to show that he has a future at the Camp Nou.
But this was a game for Barca’s number nine to show up. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found.
It’s not just the center forward position either. There are serious questions about the left full-back. Had Jules Kounde not gone down with an injury, I think Barcelona would have had a better chance at a comeback. João Cancelo continues to cook and show that he was a very useful winter signing.
The left wing, until Marcus Rashford finally came on, was struggling to create danger. Alejandro Balde I think does play better with a right footed left winger on the field, but I’m not sure he’s making a great case for himself this season as a player Barca should invest their hopes in.
These are lessons learned that will be useful for the men in suits to consider.
As a team, however, in the here and now, Barcelona should be thrilled by their performance. It was certainly pure entertainment from the perspective of a fan.
The “almost” comeback gets Barcelona back on the rails, and allows them to look forward to the Champions League and La Liga with confidence and momentum.
They are not a perfectly constructed team given the financial constraints at the club level, but Hansi Flick continues to get a heck of a lot out of the players who are available to him.
Barca fans, you have reason to believe that these guys are true contenders for the big trophies that are in front of them.
They may not have made it to the Copa del Rey final, but by taking seriously the improbable second leg of the semifinals, they have gained something more important.
They now have evidence that they can take on any challenge.
The caveat, of course, in spite of their short comings, is keeping Pedri, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha healthy and on the field.
