"Yes, the big, lumbering "last embers of a once-great Polish striker" could have made it 2-2 if he'd converted from 12 yards. And yes, in that hypothetical scenario, the darting young Swede could then have made it 2-3 to the defending LaLiga champions meaning that, just like those who go fishing, we are all entitled to "the one that got away" tall tales that make great telling."
"Barça have played almost exactly 1,000 competitive minutes this season, across eight games domestically and two in Europe. Speaking generously, Barcelona have played at a good level for about 480 minutes of that -- 48%. That's a failing rate, and no kind of acceptable performance level if a club wants not only to retain its three-trophy status but, via the UEFA Champions League, improve it."
"Don't take my word for it, even though I'm bang-on accurate -- go back and listen to Flick's post-match news conferences and read the players' words. The first signal that they weren't waving, but drowning, came on Matchday 1. Leading at nine-man Mallorca, including a 2-0 goal that the refereeing committee subsequently admitted should not have been allowed to stand, not on"
Barcelona suffered a 4-1 defeat at Sevilla that reflected deeper, ongoing problems rather than isolated missed chances. A missed penalty by Robert Lewandowski and a wasted sitter by Roony Bardghji did not alter the underlying issues. Hansi Flick's team could have been 5-1 down by halftime, and the heavy nature of the loss was foreseeable. Barcelona have played roughly 1,000 competitive minutes this season but reached a good level for only about 480 minutes (48%). That level of performance is a failing rate for a club aiming to retain multiple trophies and progress in the UEFA Champions League. Early warning signs included a controversial Matchday 1 result at nine-man Mallorca.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]