What is surely Barcelona’s most important goal in the 20th century came thanks to a foul in the area. An indirect foul. Bakero nicked it, Stoichkov stopped the ball and Koeman kicked. With that great shot by the Dutchman, Barça won the European Cup for the first time, in 1992 at Wembley. It’s one of the benefits of having a feared sniper in these types of releases. However, fouls have fallen into disuse at Camp Nou. The Blaugrana team has gone 100 games without conceding a foul.
Since Leo Messi went to Paris, Barcelona has not made it past the group stage of the Champions League nor does it know what it is to score a direct free goal. In fact, they are about to complete two years since the last target in a shot with a barrier. It was May 2, 2021 in Mestalla, on matchday 34 of the 20-21 League. It was still played without an audience in the stadiums due to the pandemic.
About 22 meters from the goal line, Messi barely gained momentum and overcame the barrier. The ball touched Cillessen’s left post before entering the goal. It was 1-3. At the time, no one could imagine that the Argentine would only play three more games with Barça.
But the traumatic departure of Messi brought these footballing consequences. Suddenly, without him, the faucet was turned off for Barcelona when curiously Koeman and Xavi were on the bench, two of those in charge of fouls in the stages as players.
Last year, before selling Coutinho and Pjanic and with Memphis in their ranks, Barça still had a certain threat in infringements on the balcony of the area. The Dutch forward, now at Atlético, had worked on the modality and scored good goals with PSV or Olympique de Lyon. On the other hand, this campaign, also with the farewell of Dani Alves, Barça has been left without specialists, which has affected the team’s play, as they hardly ever cause falls in dangerous areas.
On this issue, Xavi admits that there is no great expert in the field in the squad but he does have footballers who have a good shot at the ball. The coach mentions Pedri, one of those in charge of the corners, De Jong or Ferran Torres among those who can try. In addition, Raphinha and Lewandowski have seized some fouls. The Pole managed to score two in the same match with Poland (in Armenia). But in these 23 months, even less conventional kickers like Piqué or Alba have dared.
Nothing to do with the levels of success and confidence of Leo Messi, with his parables and screws and balls stuck to the post. The Argentine is one of the world’s great throwers and the goalkeepers knew it. Of the 672 goals he scored in the Blaugrana shirt, 49 were fouls thanks to the glove he had on his left boot.
The set piece is also an extraordinary way to break even games. Want two samples? The two free-kick goals that Leo Messi has scored this season in Ligue 1. Yes, Messi continues to create impossible goals for the goalkeeper in Paris.
The first was in October in a PSG-Nice game that was 0-0 until the Argentine opened the scoring with a free-kick. The most recent, on February 19. In a crazy game, Lilla won 2-3 at Parc dels PrÃnceps. In the 87th, Mbappé equalized and, five minutes into the 90th, Messi invented a foul at the base of the post to rescue the three points.
If the Blaugrana don’t score against Getafe, Atlético, Rayo or Betis, it will be two years since they conceded a free-kick. One cross, no snipers.
