the Barça-Bayern hot notes

Cruyffism with five defenses. Although the match against the formidable Bavarian team was by no means final for qualifying purposes, Koeman opted only to protect himself. And it’s a shame. Going out not to get hurt, no matter how much the rival was superior, has nothing to do with Barça’s history. And, above all, at the Camp Nou, in the reunion of the partner with the Champions almost two years later. The “cruyffisme” of the coach, in the premiere in the top competition of the first project under the full responsibility of Laporta, went to put five defenses and hand over possession from the start. Undoubtedly, seeing poor Pedri or Frenkie de Jong empathizing with shadows is much more painful than losing three points. How long will the president endure this evil eye?

Araujo against Eric. In a context without a ball, of little attention when it comes to finding solutions to get out playing from behind and with the team nailed to their own field, it is logical that specialists like Araujo stand out. Barça’s best man in the defeat to Bayern was the Uruguayan, a formidable center-back if the collective priority is not to have the initiative. The harpoon was the only one that matched the duels with Lewandowski or Sané. Müller, on the other hand, had a harder time detecting him. The German veteran opened the scoring at the Camp Nou taking advantage of a rebound on Eric Garcia, a more proactive (and less expeditious) scorer profile than Araujo. Martorell’s will appear in the photos because he lacks forcefulness, but above all because of his own approaches that do not precisely enhance his virtues.

Absolute overcoming. Returning to the questionable cruyffism of the label, Barça finished its first participation in the Champions 21-22 without trying on Neuer’s gloves. No shot on goal in 90 minutes by Barça, who also already have three heavy defeats in a row in their field in the top competition (0-3, 1-4 and 0-3) against top-level rivals (Juventus, PSG and Bayern ). To find a figure of offensive inefficiency comparable to the European Cup we must go back to the 03-04 season, the first of Laporta’s first term. If what came years later is repeated, we will remember this new defeat against Bayern as a necessary upset.

Little joke with Jordi Alba. On defense, Araujo avoided a bigger hole for Ter Stegen. And in attack, with debutant Luuk de Jong and Memphis far from any incident, Jordi Alba was the main danger engine, no matter how small, for Neuer’s goal. And the fact that the Hospitalet winger arrived was just due to force, according to the newspaper Sport, a stomach ache on the eve of the match. Despite the setback, Koeman forced him from the start and regretted he was injured in the second half. No joke, because Alba does not have a relief in the first team, and in Lisbon, at the end of the month, the margin of error to get to the round of 16 of the Champions League will be rather small.