Barca – Frankfurt: Winning is not enough

“Ever since Johan Cruyff took charge of Barca 40 years ago, he has set the standard that the team must win beautifully.” Xavi speaking before the game at Camp Nou. “If the win is not beautiful, we will not be happy. A score of 1-0 is not enough for the Catalans. I do not know about Real, but Barca always has to win convincingly. So working in this team is the hardest. world”.

Xavi is said to be alluding to how Real struggled to get past the round of 16 and quarter-finals of the Champions League, with defensive play in a few matches. In the quarter-final second leg against Chelsea at the Bernabeu, Real were often encroached on and almost eliminated despite winning 3-1 in the first leg. Carlo Ancelotti’s teachers and students then had to rely on Karim Benzema’s goal in extra time to into the semi-finals.

But before thinking about rivalries, Xavi needs to figure out how to give Barca into the semi-finals of the Europa League. In the first leg, Barca kept the ball twice as much as Frankfurt, but finished only half of the opponent. They will have the advantage of playing at home, when the two teams are considered to restart from the beginning result 1-1 in the first leg.

Xavi’s boldness can also turn into a double-edged sword. After the first leg, he criticized the quality of the pitch of Frankfurt, and says “the return will be different”. This can stimulate the competitive spirit of the German club.

At least the form supports Barca now, when the last time they failed was nearly three months ago. In the last match, they also won against Levante 3-2 in La Liga to show their spirit of not giving up.

But Frankfurt also didn’t lose for more than a month, until a 1-2 defeat to Freiburg in the Bundesliga last weekend. Oliver Glasner’s army is full of hope for the European Cup next season, maybe even dreaming of the Champions League if they win the Europa League this season. Frankfurt is just four matches away.

Xavi also has to admit Barca need to improve their performance in all aspects compared to the first leg, and avoid losing the ball unworthy. He will welcome attacking players like Memphis Depay and Sergino Dest back into the squad, even if they can start. But Samuel Umtiti, Sergi Roberto and Ansu Fati are still absent for a long time, and central defender Gerard leaves open the possibility of playing.

Barca have to play in the Europa League after finishing third in the group stage of the Champions League this season, behind Bayern and Benfica. Xavi’s teachers and students beat Napoli to enter the 1/8 round, then beat Galatasaray to reach the quarterfinals. If they win Frankfurt, Barca will meet West Ham in Lyon in the semi-finals.

Three of the four Europa League quarter-final first leg matches were undefeated, with only Braga taking the advantage with a 1-0 victory over Rangers. If they reach the semi-finals, Braga will meet Leipzig or Atalanta.

Hoang An