Barcelona and the passing cloud

What did Barcelona miss after losing the Clasico? Quite simply, Guardiola was missing Barcelona's best psychological coach. He was always able to take the pressure off the players and change the players' mood and morale after any loss or stumble. 

This is indeed what the team needed to play today's match against Real Sociedad, which Barcelona is lucky to play it home at the Camp Nou.

Setien had brought the fun, the smile and the team spirit back into the dressing room and we saw the relief of all the players in training, but as long as the full moon is missing on a dark night and only then does the night need someone to light it up.

 Through the match, we discovered and confirmed that whoever can change the mood of the current Barcelona players needs the Nobel Prize for Psychology. With the sour mood and the broken morale with which the players played today, they may dismiss any coach who comes to the team on their way.

Before talking about mistakes or blaming anyone, let us give everyone his due. In the current case of Barcelona, ​​that is, with the existing human resources, the coach is blamed in two cases. The first is if he made a mistake in his initial choices, i.e. the official line-up that starts the match, and the second is if he did not improve the reading of the match and made substitutions that did not provide the addition or was very late in the change. Let's be realistic, Setien started with the best possible squad with very minor tactical errors because it is difficult to predict the scenario of the first minutes of the match. Of course, we will agree on the goalkeeper and the defense line without any need for discussion. 

Some will disagree about Rakitic, Griezmann and maybe Braithwaite. Who would he prefer Rakitic, over Ricky Puig? on Vidal? Nobody fits, because Rakitic is the only one between the two who is good at receiving under pressure and delivering after defenders, has good positioning and moves well without the ball, not reckless. Very slow yes and he didn't perform well today but it was the best decision. What about Griezmann? We will agree that he is a player who does not even deserve to be on the team, so how can he play as a starter? Whether it is Setien or any other coach, he always likes to keep the winning cards of the coaches' game until he re-reads the match and can turn the match up with his substitutions. Is Griezmann a winning card as a switch in the second half? So far, it could have been 10/10. 

If you look at the last proposition, surely you will now be referring to the simple mistake Sittien made when he brought Braithwaite from the beginning, who is one of the winning cards. His presence from the beginning contributed to creating and moving the attack, but at the same time, Real Sociedad attended well and was ready from the beginning. I mean, with the passage of time, if Sociedad was able to stop the Barcelona attack, Sittien will miss the element of surprise in the second half, and the confidence of Sociedad players increases to stop the Barca attack in light of Messi's weak condition, which is exactly what happened. Setien's idea behind the inclusion of Braithwaite was in order to settle the match early and give the team the confidence it needed after the last stumble from the beginning, but he lost the bet against the stubborn Real Sociedad team.

Let's finish with Setien's last defect in this match, which is the delay in changes. Sociedad had tightened its grip on the rhythm of the match with its widespread on the field, with its high pressure on every Barcelona player and intense individual monitoring. And it was clear, the loss of the center of the field, and the complete exhaustion of Griezmann and Braithwaite. 

Sometimes a lot of thinking comes back with unimaginable consequences for the team, a goal from Real Sociedad at that time would have slaughtered everyone, and the only accused who was proven guilty at that time would be the two players.

A final point about the technical staff, especially Sarabia, Sittien's assistant. We can not doubt that the man is a fan of Barcelona since his childhood. His concern is to present a beautiful ball, a good performance and interact with every small and big thing in the match, directing, shouting, not complimenting the players and burning for the team. Often times you feel that Sitien is the assistant. Sarabia is an example of the coach and spirit that a team needs in such circumstances.

Three points are precious, but the next is more difficult. It is going to be challenging. If the jar was delivered today, it doesn't mean will be every day.

Haitham Bakkioui.