BARCELONA – VILLARREAL El Submarino, to Europe against a worrying subteam

The season closed at the Camp Nou with two big pieces of news for the contenders: Villarreal certified their European classification and Barça will not play any more official matches until next year for the peace of mind of all their fans. Villarreal won 0-2 playing with their hands in their pockets and one left the Camp Nou thanking that the people from Castellón only needed the three points and not to score, because if they need a sack of goals, they get it. Villarreal did their job against a Blaugrana team that smelled rancid and seems disconnected from any reality. So much so that several members of the team could be seen at noon in Montmeló alternated in Formula-1. From the Circuit, to the Nou camp and then to Australia, where more than one Barça fan would give them a good season.

The game, from the Blaugrana side, was to be taken in two ways: one is what Xavi said in the previous one, which was summed up in finishing the course with good collective sensations; the other appealed at the individual level because it was a party that reeked of private farewells. On the part of Villarreal, the duel had only one reading: win and ensure European participation next season.

On the culé side, neither the collective nor the individual version worked. As a whole, Barça was once again the flat, blunt and desperate team of recent weeks. Individually, what was suspected was confirmed: that Adama is not for these jogs, that Frenkie de Jong has the rebellious capacity of an angora kitten, that Aubameyang has had a longer season than the public, which is already saying that Ferran and Gavi urgently need a vacation and that Lenglet is here to take a selfie to show his grandchildren that he really played for this team.

All the players who had their future on the wing gave more reasons to be shown the door than to be retained and on the other hand, one who knows that he is staying because he has just renewed as Ronald Araújo kept the team. The Uruguayan reappeared as a motorcycle.

Villarreal, while Barça was on their own, had enough to put up with in order and wait for the first gap in the culé defense. With Alves lost who knows where and Adama losing his vigilance on the side, the periscope of Parejo detected Pedraza’s ride and served him the perfect ball to beat Ter Stegen.

Many things had to change in the second part so that the public, which by the way was great and far above the team once again, went home excited with the prospect that in August things will be much better.

The first minutes of the second half were syrup for Villarreal and the realization that Barça was going crazy to throw the key to the season. Adama Traoré culminated his tragic time at Barça with a clearance that not even a cadet would be allowed who put Moi Gómez the second goal on a plate so that the Submarine set course for the Conference against a subteam that was already sailing aimlessly.

Ansu’s entry brought some hope, something that could not be said in the cases of Riqui, Memphis and Dembélé, who came out again between whistles in what is supposed to be his last game as a Barcelona player. His 150th match, by the way, which was celebrated by the official Barcelona account with a montage in which he was seen playing video games that was later deleted. The joke is endless, the chirigota, eternal, hope, scarce.