Jordi Blanco
BARCELONA – Barça regained the lead, albeit temporarily, by beating Athletic Bilbao by a tight 1-0 in the second closed-door match at the Camp Nou.
It was another match in which the Catalan team showed a version far removed from what was expected and which he resolved with a goal, late in the second half, by Ivan Rakitic to prevent the depression from settling in a team that, at the definitive moment of the League, is going through an existential crisis of great magnitude.
Nondescript, slow, predictable and with his sights always, always on Lionel Messi, Barcelona completed a first half to oblivion, in which just a howitzer of Sergio Busquets that Mikel Balenziaga rejected with the head and a low and smooth shot by Luis Suarez who saved Unai Simón without problems could be considered goal “chances” for a team that was playing, not only the leadership, but even more, the credit that, for more optimistic speeches that it repeats, runs out.
Athletic, calm, organized and looking for the counter, scared. Not in excess, certainly, but he did show a daring and impudence that would be understood as implausible in a Camp Nou where Barça is little less than untouchable.
Marc-André Ter Stegen, excellent in reflexes, managed to deflect, as soon as the duel began, a shot-center of Unai López who poisoned himself until causing the first scare and from there, the minute three, the torpor began to take over a Barça without ideas in which Arturo Vidal could hardly be seen running without rest and without much judgment, while Arthur saw the ball pass without the option of playing it and Antoine Griezmann got fed up to stand out and combine first without receiving anything in return.
The break came without knowing if they were more grateful to each other.
It was an obvious achievement for Athletic to keep the game even, but they guessed so comfortable on the pitch that they would not have minded continuing. For Barça the opportunity was understood, the need to stir in the dressing room and look for a new image in the second half.
The game stayed the same in the first 10 minutes after halftime, until Quique Setién, aware of the need to give more vigor and speed to the ball with Arthur hidden in general mediocrity, finally resolved to give responsibility to Riqui Puig, whose entry, curiously, caused that script change.
The ball began to move faster, Barça played more spaces and gradually cornered Athletic, who presented a more defensive face and sought the counterattack with less determination.
At that moment, the Catalan coach surprised with the entrance of Ansu Fati in place of Griezmann. Rakitic also entered for Busquets, warned in the first half and who will not be able to play in Vigo on Sunday, but what struck was the departure, again, of Griezmann, which kept Suarez untouchable on the field.
Whether due to exhaustion in their concentration or also due to the greater intensity and vertigo of Barça, Athletic began to delay positions with clear exhaustion and suffering, until the goal came.
The entry came on a jumbled play, after a bad shot by Vidal, a rebounded shot and a quick entry from behind Rakitic to break the tie and give life to Barça.
The victory serves, for the moment, to restore, even if only for a few hours, the leadership to Barcelona on the eve of Messi’s 33rd birthday, who was left with the desire to celebrate with goal 700 of his career, after one night, another, which left more doubts on the stage than certainties about a Barça as less decisive in front of goal as stuck in his game.
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