Dark times ahead for Barca? Think again!

It’s been more than 24 hours since the world was witness to one of the most dramatic upsets in recent football memory and yet I cannot get over that sinking feeling when Fernando Torres zoomed past an empty Barca half to put an end to the Catalan juggernaut. As the ball struck the empty net, I could almost feel a dagger pierce slowly through my already pounding heart. It was all over. Only for the moment though, as it never really is over with this Barcelona outfit. Yes, the best team in the world has probably faced the worst week of its life, but does it mean that there is only a way downwards from here on? Honestly, I don’t think so.

Barcelona supporters may be distraught with the fact that their side missed so many chances and only made tough work out of a tie which they should have been home and dry with in London itself. However, one cannot take credit away from Chelsea for the way they have risen from the ashes to achieve impossible feat after impossible feat in almost every week of these closing stages of the season. While Barcelona oozed class in major parts over the two legs, it just wasn’t enough. As Torres very aptly stated just before the second leg at the Camp Nou-”The best team doesn’t always win.” There is no doubt that Barcelona displayed flair,flamboyance and grace in the semi-final,but sometimes sport is not just about that alone and Chelsea showed them just that. Roberto Di Matteo’s charges showed the world that the good old values of courage, conviction, heart, desire, determination and perseverance can topple even the best of the best. The Blues held their nerve, not even once were over-awed by their opponents or the atmosphere surrounding them, were focused and in the end, most critically, they took their chances. Sport thrives on such rare success stories where the underdogs triumph over the favorites. That’s the beauty of it! However, before the cynics and skeptics and critics and whatever you wish to call them pounce on Pep and his men, one should really think again.

That Barca are human and very much beatable was proven by Chelsea in quite dramatic fashion over the course of one week, but it doesn’t change anything. FC Barcelona still continue to be the best football club in the world. Let’s take a look how!

The Best Football

In the second leg at the Camp Nou against Chelsea, FC Barcelona showed that football is not just about trophies. It is much more than that. It is about playing football the right way. It is about giving fans value for their money and effort to travel long distances to see their beloved team in action. The whole world now knows of Barca and their ever so exciting and attractive ‘tiki-taka’. The Catalans swear by their style of play and don’t even let the fear of failure stop them from playing beautiful football. This was clearly evident last Tuesday when any other team would have reverted to a defensive mindset after going 2-0 up. However, Barca still went for the kill and kept on attacking. The values instilled at the club so carefully by Johann Cruyff 25 years ago, weren’t to be forgotten in a flash just for the lure of another CL trophy. In the end, football is the winner. It would have been quite something had Barca gone on to win the CL, but even at this point, they still are great!

The ‘Pep’ Factor

There has been a lot of talk regarding whether Guardiola will extend another Barca contract or not. If Barca’s master tactician does plan to stay for one more season at the helm, then expect yet another Catalan onslaught on all fronts-domestic as well as European next season. However, if the inevitable happens, I don’t think things in the Azulgrana camp will undergo a drastic change either. Yes, his absence will be felt. But what he will leave behind will surely characterize his legacy. The kind of values and techniques that Pep has brought to the club, will never wear out. He will leave behind a squad that is already so talented that one really wonders whether they do need a manager. The likes of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Cesc, Villa and others have enough class in them to make sure that any shockwave crippling through Catalonia will be effectively curbed. The way Pep has changed the perspective of all Barca players and transformed the way they study the game while playing is truly worth noticing. As Gerard Pique once said,” Any other manager will bark orders at you and tell you to move right or left. But Pep Guardiola tells you why you must move right or left, because of which your whole understanding of the game changes.” If Pep leaves, it will be a shock, but it won’t be calamitous. Barca will still proceed to achieve great things.

A Great Future Ahead

It is said that when all is lost you still have a future ahead of you. And there really shouldn’t be any doubt about a great future for FC Barcelona. Apart from key senior players like Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol, nearly all of Barca’s first-teamers are young enough and still have a long way to go.Pique, Alexis, Messi and Fabregas are 24, Busquets is 23, Alcantara , Tello and Cuenca are 21 each and there are countless other youngsters graduating from Barca’s great training academy-La Masia every year. Ever since Cruyff advised FC Barcelona to develop their own academy, the ‘farmhouse’ has been manufacturing the finest footballing talents on a consistent basis. It seems every player has a budding replacement lying in wait at all times.

So Barca fans shouldn’t get too disheartened by the failures of this season and must move on and only wait and watch how this brilliant football club reaches unscalable heights in the years to come. I’m pretty sure the Blaugrana will rise above all next season yet again and overcome these testing times. I only have one message for my beloved club,a quote from one of my favourite movie characters of all time, Rocky Balboa-”Its not about how hard you hit, but about how hard you get hit and keep coming back for more!”

Visca el Barcelona!