Barca did not find it easy beating Athletic Bilbao last night. The Basques played their rocks off, playing a hard physical game not bereft of skill which forced Barca to up their game so as to fight as well as entertain.
After the lacklustre draw with Sporting Gijon and the defeat at the Emirates stadium , the omens were not good. February we were told was always a bad month for Barca. And yet this was just the kind of hard earned victory that Barca needed to restore its confidence.
It was good to see Villa on fire, and Messi scoring again, even if belatedly. The team played better once Mascherano had been been substituted by Maxwell. But Pinto is not Valdes even if he did manage to pull off a great save. Nor can any ammount of rearrangement in Barca’s current defence make up for the absence of Pujol. This was a Barca entering a critical period of the season, at times looking tired.
There are greater challenges ahead although last night was a ‘must win’. Which is why the sight of Guardiola at one point urging fans to give more vocal support to the team was significant. Barca can no longer take victory for granted and its spirit needs sustenance.
Barça are definately struggling. Good to know they are not perfect, makes them even seem human. They will struggle against Wenger’s boys for sure, and though the Premier has been a roller coster this season, Arsenal look stronger than before. And some season it has been so far in Blighty: Rooney’s ordago, Liverpool’s demise, Chelsea’s implosion, Spurs and Man City’s resurrection. Makes la Liga seem even duller than ever. Even Mourinho is rather subdued. However he has managed to install some spirit into his squad and that is precisely what Ancelotti is failing to do at Chelsea, and I agree completely with you, it is Guardiola’s challenge right now, to re-ignite the Cule spirit, at this crucial mid point in the season.