Optimism is bizarre.
Optimism is infectious.
For those who’re a correctly indoctrinated culer, optimism is to not be trusted.
Put one other means, 4 persons are at an ice cream parlor in the midst of an ice area. The 4 wait workers skate over with completely made sundaes, the cascade of ice flecks as they skid to a halt, fastidiously aimed to mud the highest of the confection. It’s excellent.
Three of the individuals dig in. The culer says, “It’s poison. Or frozen yogurt. I guess the chocolate is white chocolate or one thing.”
It’s simply what we do.
So when Hansi Flick got here rolling in with discuss of bettering how the crew does issues, and bringing in his personal cadre of physios geared toward not having a crew that finishes matches like sleepwalkers, everybody shrugged. What else would you do? Been there, executed that, received the t-shirt. Setien, Valverde, Koeman, Xavi, all of them, a conga line of males saying issues, promising magic.
Some fell for it, others had been like, “My ass.”
Setien was a catastrophe, Valverde let down by veterans making like Jenga towers. Koeman, the fun of Luuk apart (talking of towers) was a plain-spoken bum. Xavi got here in and, regardless that he wasn’t prepared, had a run of luck as everybody else within the league underperformed, and backed right into a Liga title. Then got here actuality, and it bit. Exhausting.
So forgive us if on the blandishments of Flick, most of us had been unmoved.
In preseason, there was one thing fascinating, however there at all times is as the youngsters frolic, operating and urgent and displaying power, solely to have the veterans return and act like pylons. Preseason was enjoyable, however represented nothing, however many thought, within the wake of the 0-3 pounding the crew took within the Gamper — I imply holy hell, who LOSES A GAMPER??!! “Uh, oh … right here we go.”
Within the first official match, there have been indicators of … one thing? There was construction, cohesion, a crew that appeared prefer it knew one thing of what it was doing. The soccer was … enjoyable? Extra crucially, within the second half the crew was higher than within the first as Flick made sensible changes and substitutions.
The second match, the Nico Williams Derby, introduced extra fascinating issues and Kounde pocketed the Wantaway Williams, and after the match an Athletic Membership participant mentioned that Barça was each technically and (are you sitting down?) bodily stronger than his crew.
Welcome to Weirdsville.
Within the third match, within the first half, Rayo Vallecano(!) ran over a tired-looking Barça crew, and other people thought, “Right here it comes. That is why we will’t have good issues.” The shining gentle that was Marc Bernal was extinguished, damping the fireplace of what was the truth is the crew’s most fascinating win in a match of two halves. Once more, the second half was higher, and late into yet one more match the crew had power and dynamism, sundering yet one more opponent with key targets.
Valladolid. The fourth match. A win was anticipated. A celebration wasn’t. Seven targets that would have been extra, a crew firing on all cylinders in opposition to an admittedly substandard opponent. It was the anticipated. What made this outing notably optimism-inducing is that final 12 months’s crew would have made tough work of dispatching an inferior opponent, perhaps even eking out a draw. However a soccer rating? Simply what the hell is occurring right here?
Optimism.
There’s a new supervisor bump. Typically. Different instances a brand new supervisor has the identical junk that received his predecessor fired and he, too, has the stank. What’s uncommon is {that a} new supervisor is available in and, with primarily the identical group, forges a crew that appears completely different.
Raphinha isn’t a headless hen, Lewandowski isn’t making an attempt to make like Gulliver taking part in Iniesta within the Christmas pageant. The again line is proactive, anchored by Kounde and Balde as abruptly the flanks that had been an invite to opponent events final 12 months are closed. Urgent is making the midfield much less of a discipline of daisies as Raphinha works like a sled canine in protection. Even Eric Garcia is taking part in like somebody who belongs within the squad.
In some way, over a summer season, the gamers are stronger, with extra stamina, they usually have a clue. And the crew is taking part in prefer it. In biking, racers do base miles, often two or three thousand miles earlier than the actually laborious stuff begins, now that there’s a basis. You’ll be able to go deep, figuring out that you simply’ve executed the prep work. Optimism comes from that basis. It’s early days, however Flick appears to have his crew believing in one thing, believing in one another.
There may be much less annoyed gesticulating after conceded targets, much less adverse physique language and power that was such a trademark of the Xavi years, even coming from the supervisor himself as gestures of frustration and exasperation flowed from the bench. That shit is infectious.
Flick, on the bench, watches play, talks to his assistant, continually appears like a person making an attempt to unravel an issue. He prods and guides, talks to gamers individually. You don’t see him screaming and gesticulating, and when gamers come off there are hugs and pats of encouragement, even when the participant crammed his pants. As a result of the optimism and constructive power mandatory to construct one thing must occur even when a member of that crew isn’t holding up their finish. That, too, is vital.
“You’ll be higher. I respect what you tried to do at the moment. Thanks.”
Bernal went down with an damage, one other Masia savant, sensible and gifted past his years. He the answer to the midfield query, then got here ligaments. Damnable, fragile ligaments. Casado rolled in, and the system continued to work with diversifications primarily based within the personnel doing the work.
That is bizarre. For those who’re correctly culer, you don’t know what to do with this sense, so alien. Final 12 months the crew rolled into the second leg of a tie in opposition to PSG with the lead, then notched an early purpose. Wait a minute, might or not it’s …
Nope. Araujo received the stupids, the crew went down to 10, Xavi saved being tactically silly and the payoff for fleeting disappointment was dropping to a crew that ain’t shit, ain’t by no means gonna be shit. That is what optimism will get you. A pie within the face. Wipe the custard out of your eyes and also you see a smirking Al-Khelafi. To hell with optimism.
That is 4 matches. Every little thing might nonetheless crumble, gamers might come again from this silly, silly worldwide break designed to damage early season momentum and coherence, injured and out of shape.
However for the primary time in a really very long time, there may be disappointment that for 2 weeks, we gained’t get to see the crew that we love doing magical issues on the soccer pitch. And no, I don’t imply Femeni.