The unraveling of Barcelona has been weeks in the making

If, during the planetary break, you hap to beryllium sharing a portion with a Barcelona instrumentality who tries to archer you that their 4-1 mauling astatine Sevilla would person been antithetic if Robert Lewandowski hadn't fluffed a punishment and Roony Bardghji hadn't missed a sitter astatine 2-1, past grin benignly astatine them, wage for their beverage and marque definite they get location safely.

They are successful denial. Big time. Fear is gnawing astatine their footballing psyche similar a rat astatine the wood of a room cupboard.

Yes, the big, lumbering "last embers of a once-great Polish striker" could person made it 2-2 if he'd converted from 12 yards. And yes, successful that hypothetical scenario, the darting young Swede could past person made it 2-3 to the defending LaLiga champions meaning that, conscionable similar those who spell fishing, we are each entitled to "the 1 that got away" gangly tales that marque large telling.

But Hansi Flick's broadside not lone deserved their mauling, which could person seen them 5-1 down by halftime: this defeat, and its emphatic nature, has been connected the cards for weeks.

Barça person played astir precisely 1,000 competitory minutes this season, crossed 8 games domestically and 2 successful Europe. Speaking generously, Barcelona person played astatine a bully level for astir 480 minutes of that -- 48%. That's a failing rate, and nary benignant of acceptable show level if a nine wants not lone to clasp its three-trophy presumption but, via the UEFA Champions League, amended it.

Don't instrumentality my connection for it, adjacent though I'm bang-on close -- spell backmost and perceive to Flick's post-match quality conferences and read the players' words.

The archetypal awesome that they weren't waving, but drowning, came connected Matchday 1. Leading astatine nine-man Mallorca, including a 2-0 extremity that the refereeing committee subsequently admitted should not person been allowed to stand, not lone were Barcelona lazy, sluggish and complacent, but they were fixed a rocket, post-match, by their profoundly unhappy German coach. "I didn't similar our show -- we played astatine astir 50% focus," he said. "We request to negociate games amended and beryllium aggravated ... adjacent erstwhile it appears casual to bushed 9 men."

They were fixed the implicit runaround astatine recently promoted Levante, trailing 2-0 astatine the interruption adjacent though it could easy person been 4 oregon five, but Joan García saved their skins. Away to Rayo Vallecano, again, they were out-worked, hustled retired of their comfortableness zone, importantly out-gunned connected xG and, eventually, precise fortunate to flight with a gully alternatively of a defeat.

"We committed excessively galore errors, we didn't power the crippled via the ball," Flick said aft that match. That helium added that infamous phrase, "last twelvemonth we were a due team, but ego kills success," was devastating, particularly erstwhile near retired determination hanging -- without the player(s) -- oregon directors -- successful question being identified. The adjacent day, influential Catalan paper, Diario Sport warned successful their editorial: "Flick amended ticker retired ... astatine this complaint h...