Barcelona are so close, and yet so far away from Real Madrid

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Another Clasico defeat

It’s hard to feel anything but bitter frustration after a loss to Real Madrid.

In the second Clasico of the league season, Barcelona once again allowed their rivals to come from behind and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

That’s a six-point swing on the season that’s made all the difference separating number one from number two at the top of the table. Once again, it was Jude Bellingham, the newest Galactico, doing the honors.

Combine that with another come-from-behind defeat against PSG in the Champions League. Followed by Real Madrid doing nothing but suffering for a result against Manchester City, giving themselves a chance to survive in penalties. And a date with destiny as the favorites to capture yet another European championship.

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This week hurts.

And not just because of what Barcelona gave up, but because of the great signs of growth that they’ve shown to make something out of this challenging season. And to show over the past few seasons under Xavi that they are a serious team again that can take on anyone.

I feel like I’m feeling what Xavi’s feeling.

It’s just so frustrating. So maddening. So close, and yet it seems so far away.

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Barcelona has all the talent they need. They are bought in, and have never given up from week to week, in spite of the road blocks that have continuously rolled in.

All in all, a season without trophies can be considered successful.

And yet, the final analysis of this year isn’t so simple.

In some way, it feels like the team, and the club, in the tenure of Xavi and Joan Laporta continues to improve.

PSG got lucky. But Barcelona also made their own bad luck.

Real Madrid got lucky. A silly gift of a penalty, and a ghost goal taken away from Barcelona.

And yet, once again, Barcelona made plenty of their own bad luck.

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The biggest loser of the week is sadly Joao Cancelo.

I say sadly because he has done a lot of good things for Barcelona this season. His versatility and attacking powers are something you have to respect.

And yet, this week revealed that he probably isn’t what Barcelona needs going forward.

There’s no way to play at this level, at this point in time, as a full-back, if you can’t defend. Sergino Dest learned that lesson the hard way as well.

The door may have closed for Cancelo to come back next season. Barcelona needs to be a stalwart defensively, and Alejandro Balde, who didn’t have such an effective season on the attack before his injury, is still the guy to call upon going forward.

But the problem is bigger than one player.

Going into this season, Barcelona relied on mercenaries. Granted, these are players who genuinely wanted to wear the colors. But they were players who were most likely always going to be short term pieces to hold the team together.

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Barcelona’s problem was, and still is, financial. And that isn’t going to change going into this summer.

When you consider that, maybe Xavi did punch above his weight as manager when all is said and done.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, continues to lose their superstars, and continues to find a way forward with new players. From Cristiano Ronaldo, to Karim Benzema, and now Luka Modric, Galacticos come, stay a while, then go, and the club continues to march on. They continue being in a strong position to win everything.

And that’s the sober reality that Barcelona needs to contend with.

Their rival isn’t concerned with being pretty, they are just obsessed with winning.

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And when it matters the most, they suffer, and they find a way.

When it mattered most this week, Barcelona crumbled. There was a way to win, but they couldn’t find it.

And yet, Xavi comes out of all of this, still looking good.

He may not want to return, and I don’t blame him, but we should all give him credit for the good work he’s done getting Barcelona back and competing at the top level.

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The next step forward will be a difficult one.

I’m not sure who will carry the torch forward, but they will inherit a team, and a club, in a much better position now than they were a few years ago, when doom and gloom was setting in.

As hard as this week has been, I’m grateful for the progress at Barcelona. To be watching meaningful games again.

And to know that, regardless of the manager next season, there is a young, talented corps of players ready to give their all for the colors.

These guys aren’t afraid.

Real Madrid got the better of Barcelona this season.

But Barcelona aren’t so far away from their rivals after all.

Source: barcablaugranes.com