Monaco blocked Barcelona's interest. Suddenly. Barca suffered their first defeat of the season at the Luis II Stadium on their second trip to Europe in 30 years thanks to Hristo Stroichkov's goal in April 1994. Victory was achieved. a lot. Too much. 2-1, hope this defeat is just an exception. More important is his game. Or rather the lack of it...
After a fantastic start to the league, Barcelona are full of confidence, optimism and joy. But Monaco saw them off after a dismal start, producing their worst performance of the season and paying the price on quarter of an hour. Erase it from your memory. Eric Garcia's sending off after ten minutes was pathetic and laughable, Ter Stegen's error and disaster made matters worse, but Akleuch's brilliant goal five minutes later... ...didn't overshadow the German goalkeeper's statue.
Nobody wants to get power from there. Ramin Jamal's talent was one of the few positives for the young star who helped Barca to an enjoyable but frustrating Champions League debut ahead of the final. Flick's men were taken by surprise in Monaco, a head-to-head clash with more intensity and pressure they didn't know how to handle. He sat out the game at the Stade Louis II and ended it with his worst performance of the season before impressing on his continental debut a month later.
Conceptual errors, global errors and personal errors, such as Kubasi accidentally passing the ball, Ilenikin hitting the ball into Ter Stegen's net, and Ter Stegen did not even dare to go out and look for the ball. VAR, however, spared him the final humiliation and overturned Inigo Martinez's penalty, which, of course, should not have been.
Europe still offers redemption. The event in Monaco shouldn't hurt Barca much in terms of results, but it was certainly a real wake-up call. Accustomed to commanding, pleasing, running and fighting this season, it will be painful for him to think of an opponent as young as himself, who is so focused on the fight and so much more successful with combinations, attacks and finishes.
The Champions League has just started... But in Barcelona, whose smile suddenly disappeared, the situation could not be worse.
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