Athletic Bilbao 4-0 Barcelona, Post-Match Reaction: 3 Things we Learned

It hurts me to say this, and you've probably heard this already, but Barcelona got killed by Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Spanish Supercup with a 4-0 destructive win. Here's a few takeaways from a disastrous night:

1. Luis Enrique was right to rotate. I find it really really hard to come up with any reasons to blame the coach. He listened to the medical team and picked the best XI based on how the players recovered from the Sevilla game. His squad isn't deep, especially with the injuries to Neymar and Alba, and it was one of those nights when everything goes wrong and there's nothing you can do. All of his substitutions were accurate, but the second half hat-trick by Aduriz came exactly after each sub, which is a killer. For all your Lucho Haters out there, it's not his fault on this one.

2. It's time to reconsider what we expect from Sergi Roberto. I swear this not an overreaction from a tough night. If we judge based solely on what we saw on Friday, even Messi is not a good footballer. But Roberto's performance at San Mamés was another one of those when you get completely frustrated. We have this image of the Next Xavi, a guy who has tons of potential and will have his opportunity to shine. Once again, he was subpar. Eventually, we all have to accept that Roberto is not good enough to reach our expectations. Which is a shame.

3. Screw the mumps, call Neymar. After all, we need a 5-0 win.

Source: Renato Goncalves http://ift.tt/1J6rGq9