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It was not meant to be a fairytale story for Barcelona on Sunday night. Faced against Real Madrid in the finals of the Spanish Super Cup, the Blaugranas were outdone and outclassed over 90 minutes, and the scoreboard speaks everything one needs to know about the final.
There was no period in the game where Barcelona appeared close to generating a response. They were meek, unresourceful and lost for ideas in the final third, only to be hit repeatedly by Los Blancos’ counterattacks that were programmed to perfection.
The game brought to light a number of elements around the team’s recent failures, but most importantly their weak mentality, blunt attack and pliable defence. The 4-1 defeat is one that will be remembered for years to come as the team’s lowest point and most poor showing.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points from Real Madrid 4-1 Barcelona.
Xavi’s tactical thrashing
Xavi has often been defended as a manager judged based on the failure of his players. His tactics have been questionable for a while, but it has always been individual failures on the field that have caused Barcelona’s undoing.
The final against Real Madrid last night, however, was a different case. The biggest part of the blame falls on the team’s manager and his questionable tactics on a night when the stakes were the highest.
The importance of Sunday’s clash was widely discussed as Barcelona’s one and only chance to turn their season around. A win would inject much-needed confidence into the team and lay the foundation for a strong run ahead.
Despite clearly knowing the repercussions of a defeat in the final and the sheer quality of Real Madrid’s current team, Xavi quite simply set the team up for failure.
For starters, deploying Ronald Araujo at right-back was inexcusable considering the Uruguayan’s role in stopping Vinicius Jr in recent Clasicos. It is common knowledge that the Brazilian protege has played a more central role in the team’s current…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/three-talking-points-from-real-madrid-4-1-barcelona-spanish-super-cup-final/
Author : Adithya Eshwarla
Publish date : 2024-01-15 08:34:02
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