Below the “Més que un club” but close on its heels, the phrase “go out and enjoy”, which is non è vera è ben trovata (it is clear that Johan Cruyff did not say exactly that), fits like a glove with the most playfulness of Barcelona culture, surely because it is actually its essence. The great teams in Barça’s history were able to combine suffering, an element inherent to any elite sporting triumph, with a healthy recreational aspect, a factor that made them connect with their people and transcend beyond their victories to become memorable teams. .
Today’s Barça, despite being coached by a coach who was an extraordinary ambassador of that unique way of understanding football, drags its boots as if playing ball were a punishment and not a joy. His predisposition in the first parts does not differ from that of the worker who has gotten up at five in the morning to take the subway and come in at six. And it shouldn’t be like that. Football players, on their own merits, took the social elevator and are very well paid because they have turned a game into a profession. Whether they like it or not, they are part of our leisure. They have the obligation to entertain the rest of us. At least from time to time. They are actors from the pompously called entertainment industry.
It is true that they play many games, but worse is taking the subway at dawn.
Against Osasuna, the amorphous and anesthetized Barça returned to the fray. He played flat, the ball moved slowly from one foot to another as if the footballers were imitating the movements of an ancient automaton, the kind without expression on the face. In short, the first part was a waste of time.
What happened after the pause was not wonderful, but it improved the bitter, ash-flavored aftertaste that was coming. Few things were enough. The rebellion of Gündogan, who raised his position a few meters not by administrative prescription but to do damage (his pass from him to Lewandowski was finally tense and vertical at 1-0); the contribution of Pedri, whose mere presence improved the panorama; the attitude of João Félix, who conveyed his anger through several plays that mixed rage and aesthetics; and Lamine Yamal, who against Raphinha only loses the battle of sacrifice because in everything else he projects a much superior footballer than the Brazilian.
These actions, chained together, worked like an antidepressant, waking up from anesthesia a team that never plays completely well, that from time to time leaves details to cling to in order to imagine that everything will finally change in the next game. Thus, the expected metamorphosis has not occurred for years.
Xavi has a challenge before him. Give continuity to that timid, showy reaction from some of its players and amplify it once in a while. He does not have the most complete template, but neither does one whose height is what has been seen so far, located between the mezzanine and the main floor. It is necessary to fly higher.
From time to time it is worth remembering history. If you are not able to take on the motto in its entirety, let’s start with a more modest version: “Go out and enjoy yourself, even if it’s just a little.”