President Joan Laporta barely expressed anger or concern over Barça's disappointing draw against Inter Milan at the Camp Nou. The procession of the head of state went inside while he watched with suspicion how the Inter Milan board celebrated each goal of the Italian team in an unapologetic way, as if it were a trophy. Next to Laporta, in the front row of the presidential box, were the vice president Rafael Yuste and the sports director Jordi Cruyff. Both were much more expressive than the president lamenting with his gestures the lack of success of the Blaugrana.
When the match ended, Laporta, who yesterday had lunch with the Portuguese representative Jorge Mendes, went down to the locker room. He did not speak with the squad but he did meet with Xavi Hernández and his coaching staff. The concern exists. After the great investment with 153 million deposited in the field, the president expected another result with the main objective of returning the club to the European elite. Nothing is further from reality.
Despite the circumstances, the institutional message is clear. "We have to be united and keep rowing." And so Laporta transmitted it to Xavi. There is full confidence in the technician so that he can straighten out the situation. And Xavi also knows that winning the League is practically an obligation for a club that, if it finally bids farewell to the Champions League, will stop earning 20 million euros and that is coming from not earning another 12 million after not winning the Europa League last year.
These figures for some budgets that contemplated reaching the quarterfinals are at least unsettling. However, the activation of the levers allows the Barcelona office to breathe with some ease, at least until the next course. Now the concern is above all for the fans. For how a dedicated Camp Nou, recently recovered for the cause, will fit a new descent to the basement of Europe.
The fans had responded very well to the call of the new Barça. In the 25 games that Barcelona played last year at home, they gathered an average of 55,026 attendees. This year, with the 92,302 spectators who attended Barça-Inter in the best entry of the season, the Blaugrana calculator already reaches an average of 83,564 fans. There is some fear that this trend will begin to decline when the feared fall to the Europa League for the second consecutive year is certified prematurely. To this must be added the exile next season to Montjuïc, which in itself will imply lower attendance since the capacity of the Estadi Olímpic is 55,926 spectators.
The board is also very aware of players like Robert Lewandowski who landed in Barcelona with economic conditions adapted to the new reality of the club but also with the hope of being part of a new cycle of triumphs to be able to be European. "You were not wrong, President," Mateu Alemany told Laporta during the assembly of compromising partners. Lewandowski generates a lot of union in a directive that hopes that the Pole will continue to claim now in the League.
It will take a titanic effort. Xavi, who faced the day after with still a lot of disappointment and with the feeling that the Champions League has been very expensive this year, above all, he will try to straighten out the low state of mind of the squad. There isn't much time. And for this reason, although the team was scheduled to rest today, the coach has finally scheduled a new training session this morning. We must end the month of October with good feelings starting with a solid performance this Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu. “We will come in as leaders and we have to come out as leaders”, they insist from the coaching staff that already outlines an eleven on their board for the weekend in which they hope to recover Koundé in the starting eleven.
As for the captains Gerard Piqué and Sergio Busquets, the message remains the same. Everyone should be important and there is no individual fault. "We have to win on Sunday," they repeat endlessly, although neither of them, especially Piqué, is assured of starting. Especially if Koundé recovers 100 percent. And everything indicates that this will be the case as the newspaper AS advanced and was able to confirm La Vanguardia. At the same time, the board also plans to go en masse to the Santiago Bernabeu box to cheer on the team. “The more we are the better”, they insist from the offices.
