A disconnection against Cadiz which Barça cannot allow
Madrid’s controversial win in Seville, with help from the refs, leaves La Liga’s title race over. That match was marked in red for Barca as a chance for a Madrid slip up. But beyond the refereeing nightmare Cuadra Fernandez had, Madrid showed their competitive gene in extreme situations, like they did in the Champions League against PSG and Chelsea. Madrid will win La Liga on their own merit but also because of Barca’s demerits.
Barcelona threw in the towel in the first third of the season. Their reaction under Xavi was not enough, they needed Madrid to slip up, but they didn’t. 15 points is the gap with seven games remaining for Barcelona. However they have to keep competing.
The disconnection they suffered against Cadiz, bar the omnipresent Dembele, is not just dangerous for the team’s UCL qualification hopes but also for the image of a side that looked back to their best. We saw the worst version of the new Barca on Monday night. Slow, predictable, making mistakes in defence, which led to the goal for Perez. After that, they improved in intensity but not efficiency. Three points escaped. Xavi’s project needs to end the season showing that it has a future. It’s not just mental any physical fatigue that can be blamed for these last games, there’s still a lot to do.
