Halftime in Pucela. Against a relegated team like Valladolid, already demoted to the second division for more than a week, Barça was surprisingly down 1-0. The first half from Flick's team, which had fielded a line-up full of less regular footballers to give the starters a rest, was not good. That was reason enough for a sector of Barcelona fans on X, formerly Twitter, to harshly criticize players and coaching staff given the dramatic situation. If the result held and Barça dropped the three points near the Pisuerga, against a rival that had only won four matches in the entire league, Real Madrid could once again depend on themselves before the league Clásico. Thus, the ghosts of the most insecure part of the fanbase resurfaced.
Fortunately, things ended well. Not without suffering, but FC Barcelona managed to turn the game around in the second half. The hard-fought victory on the bottom team's field is evidence that the team is running on empty and that there are no easy matches anymore. The marathon that the 2024/25 season has become is nearing its end, Flick's team is in first place and can already start to see the finish line on the horizon, but cramps and exhaustion have begun to appear. With Saturday's match, there have been four comebacks in the last five games. To beat Celta, to overcome Real Madrid in the Copa final, to survive against Inter, and to win in Valladolid. An unmistakable sign that Barça can't maintain the same intensity throughout the 90 minutes.
The Barça fan can start to accept that the rest of the season will be like this. They can forget about the thrashings their team inflicted months ago. About the easy and overwhelming victories. It's been weeks since the battle moved to the mud, where they have to roll up their sleeves and get dirty. Or in other words, suffer and not want to look at the TV screen during a tight and uncertain end of the match. If they're not willing to do that, to continue giving moral support to their team, they can step aside and even change the channel. Read a book or go to the movies with their partner. Anything that makes them refrain from leaving negative comments on social media, something that, after the great season their team is having, only shows that a good part of the Barça fanbase remains negative and insecure.
In the upcoming matches against Inter and Real Madrid, two titles are at stake. The Champions League can't be won on Tuesday, but it can be lost. The league can be decided next Sunday, but it can also become very complicated depending on the result in the Clásico. So far, in the crucial moments of the season, in the coin toss that sports often is, it has always landed heads. But, what if it lands tails now? The Barcelona supporter must be very clear about what their reaction should be if things don't go as expected. Nine months ago, Barça wasn't considered a favorite for any title, but they have won the Super Cup and Copa del Rey and are also competing for the two most important trophies. So, whatever the outcome in both cases, standing up and applauding should be a mandatory reaction.