Barcelona had plenty of reasons to try to win in Almería. Turn the page on the second European disappointment, return to the positive dynamics and above all move Real Madrid further away to hit the table in this League, marked in red with the permission of the Cup. The opportunity to leave the whites to 10 points against an opponent that was close to relegation was, on paper, a very tangible reality. But not. They were not reasons enough. Xavi's men, anesthetized after the defeat at Old Trafford and with the classic cup bearer in mind, collapsed before the enthusiasm from Almeria who used a goal from El Bilal to take the three points. The only Blaugrana shot between the three sticks came in the 80th minute. And it was from the youthful Ángel Alarcon. It was without a doubt the worst game of the season.
The movie turned out to be the most familiar. Barça already ran into disappointment last year when, after falling against Eintracht Frankfurt, the team fell apart against Cádiz. At that time, Barcelona also lacked Pedri.
Neither Dembélé nor Ansu Fati arrived in Almería. But at least Xavi got Gavi back, who barely had bad control inside the box after a good pass from De Jong. It was the false left end of him. At first because the coach changed the formula up to three times. He went from the four midfielders to the two wingers and finished with three center-backs. This time he didn't hit the key. He didn't serve her.
The game began with Kessié playing in front of the double pivot formed by Busquets and De Jong. Theoretically it was to look for Lewandowski more. However, the puzzle was disassembled quickly. Xavi constantly drew attention to the captain who was involved in several turnovers and incomprehensible positional errors. Busquets, overwhelmed by the situation, even responded to him.
In defense, the coach transferred Sergi Roberto to the right side and Jordi Alba to the left. Both tried to display all their offensive nose on the wings but without much success. The Reus winger starred in two consecutive crosses. A good one that Lewandowski almost finished off and another that was lost along the bottom line. Everything counted as approaches at the beginning without ideas from Barça.
In the axis of the rear Xavi recovered Eric Garcia for the cause along with Christensen. And, initially, he sat Raphinha down. The one chosen to replace the Brazilian was Ferran Torres, awarded after his good performance against Cádiz. It was his second start in the League. He looked for Jordi Alba but the Valencian's shots did not have the necessary power.
Instead, Almería presented themselves with the need to reset after losing against Girona. And it was noticeable from the first moment. Against all odds, Rubi gave up a rocky defense of five and opted for one of four with Chumi on the right side and with El Bilal and Luis Suárez pressing up. In one of those attacks, El Bilal controlled a long ball with his chest. The sequence was very fast. He lured Christensen out, beat him back and went for the run into space immediately. Eric Garcia failed to prevail over Luis Suárez, who caught the ball and returned the gift to his teammate with a great pass on the run. The Bilal did not forgive. Such was the force of his kick that the ball bounced off the crossbar before entering. It was followed by an acrobatic finish from Leo Baptistao and a high header from Ely. The same one who ensured that Ferran Torres reached the auction after another cross from Alba. The man from Foios also failed to control a pass from Kessié after a loss from Chumi.
It was difficult for Barcelona to find numerical superiority. The midfielders were too blurred. Lacked control, stimulation and winning mentality. Along the way Eric Garcia, who suffered with El Bilal's long balls, took a yellow card after running over Luis Suárez. On the other hand, the referee did not use the same yardstick and forgave the Colombian striker after a harsh foul on Eric himself. Barcelona's longest play in the first half ended in nothing. Almost three minutes of possession for a poisoned final cross from Ferran Torres that no one managed to finish off. The summary was a goal from Almería and not a shot between the three sticks.
It never does. But in the intermission Xavi took action on the matter. He gives up the four midfielders and returns to the origins with the two open ends. Raphinha came on for Kessié to be on the right wing of the attack and Ferran Torres moved to the left. He changed the intensity of the match, but not excessively either. Lewandowski, somewhat more comfortable with drawing, began to enter the game. The goalkeeper Fernando was anticipated, but he failed to control the last shot well.
The game was still too innocent because of the bands. So the coach changed the board again. He populated the midfield again, ahead of Sergi Roberto, seated Jordi Alba and Eric Garcia and called up Araújo and Marcos Alonso. He had to try it with a defense of three centrals.
Along the way there was a carousel of cards. Xavi saw her from the bench for asking for a very clear corner from Robertone, Raphinha for quickly taking a free kick and Gavi for protesting an out of bounds. Xavi and Gavi were warned. So they will not be at the Camp Nou next Sunday against Valencia. The cherry of the cake.
Despite the coach's movements, Barça still did not see the light. The two desperate losses in a row by Busquets were followed by a volley from Luis Suárez directly to the chest of Marcos Alonso that prevented the 2-0. Sergi Roberto also tried but without daring in the last shot.
Desperate, Xavi reacted again. He seated Busquets and Sergi Roberto and called Pablo Torre and Angel Alarcón. A revolutionary bet. And incredible as it may seem, the only shot between the three sticks was from Alarcón. Fernando blocked it from below after the free kick taken by Pablo Torre. The five added minutes only served for Almería to threaten with the second. Embarba won the position from Araújo and stood absolutely alone against Ter Stegen. The German prevented the embarrassment from being greater. And on the horizon, the classic Bernabeu cupbearer. The one in the semifinal.
