Agonising victory to help Barca continue their historic comeback
On December 5, 2020, Barcelona were 12 points behind Atletico after losing against Cadiz.
Only 10 weeks of the season had passed but Barcelona fans had given up on the title. The team was in a grave crisis of results and gameplay. It looked like a new season without anything to show for it. A long walk through the desert beckoned, with elections that never seemed to come. No signs of an historic comeback. But the miracle happened. And today, four months later, April 5, Barca are a point behind Atletico and are favourites to be champions. After beating Real Valladolid, it’s all in their hands. It was a hard win. Agonizing. With a last minute Dembele strike. Barca had a bad game. They were sluggish after the international break. But luckily, the Frenchman solved the game. He was the hero on a potentially decisive night.
The team has transformed. The defeat by Cadiz was their last in La Liga. Since then they have taken 51 from 57 points possible, with 16 wins and three draws. Extraordinary numbers. Koeman’s been sensational too, helping sunk footballers recover, betting on youth and helping Messi return to his essential best, a leader. We saw that in the tunnel on Monday night. “We have to win this however we can!” Drive which was unimaginable when Barcelona were in their sporting, economic and institutional crisis. On Monday they took a big step forward towards the title, but there’s still a long way to go. Starting with the Clasico in Madrid on Saturday. Then the game with Atletico on May 9. Two huge matches which Barcelona, after the effort made in an exceptional 2021, cannot let go.
