Opinion article
Barça has definitely left its European traumas behind
The Blaugrana team has taken another step forward in this Champions League and has been one of the strongest teams
Barça have cast aside the burden of European trauma. The memory of the humiliations of Roma, Liverpool and Bayern has been left behind. In fact, the man who saw the Lisbon disaster (2-8) first-hand is the one who is putting the rivets in place to put the ship back together. Nothing remains of that weak and fearful team whose legs trembled when they left the national territory. Now it is a real steamroller and it does not matter who it has in front of it, because it will crush them, see the cases of Real Madrid or, the bête noire, the team from the German capital.
The Blaugrana team was not able to take advantage of the opportunity that PSV gave them by beating Liverpool at the Philips Stadion. However, as Araujo said, it was "close". There is no reason to throw up our hands, the team stood up and played a great game. Atalanta were playing to keep their place in the top eight, and to do so they needed to win, and they didn't manage to do so, so they weren't going to give in. The only bad game in the league phase was the defeat against Monaco, which was affected by the early expulsion of Eric Garcia. It is true that Flick did not get the score right after this inconvenience, as he kept to the plan with one less man, and that Barça were overwhelmed, but it was the only chance.
The Blaugrana team is no longer that team that plays against its rival and against itself. No opponent dares to mock or laugh at them now, as FC Barcelona is making sure to regain the respect that was had for it based on good football and goals. They have achieved the priority objective of the first phase of the Champions League, which was to go directly to the round of 16. They were unable to finish in first place, but that is not bad at all. It is a very young project, still under construction and whose squad is missing some pieces to complete the necessary profiles. Even so, he is already scaring the football world, and this is only the beginning.
Xavi laid the foundations. He carried out the necessary clean-up of the squad, he covered holes with the reinforcements that arrived and he managed to cope with a much more complex financial situation. He also did the most difficult thing: he selected those youth players with the necessary potential, he made them debut and he gave them the confidence and continuity essential for them to survive in the elite. His last season was perhaps a step backwards, but the current Barça would not be what it is without his work. Later, Hansi Flick arrived. The German is managing to get the most out of the squad. This team is no longer afraid, it instills it. FC Barcelona has definitely let go of the baggage of European traumas.
