Yeah from Barcelona His form in LaLiga is a sign that they are back, from real madrid The announcement on Wednesday was that they never left and that they are still kings. The 4-0 at the Camp Nou was more than a victory that puts the whites in the final of the Copa del Rey, it was one more affirmation that they can turn it on whenever they want, better than anyone, and that Barça is far from a finished product.
At the risk of losing or losing a fourth straight Clásico this season alone, Real came back to life with three second-half goals to annihilate Xavi’s team, resulting in another cup exit for the Catalan side, one that had Xavi asking questions about the team’s state of mind after such an embarrassing loss. The coach went on to say that the second goal was essentially what damaged his team mentally, and that they were not the same after that.
“When you don’t kill Real Madrid, Real Madrid kills you,” Xavi said after the game. “We didn’t score at least one goal… They were better than us, and this is football.”
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Karim Benzema he was at his best, a second treble in as many games, blowing up a Barça defense with players like Vinicius Jr., Luka modric and others slicing them like no one had done this season. Benzema’s hat-trick was the first by a Real Madrid player at Barça since Ferenc Puskas back in 1963.
Remember, this is a Barca defense that is allowing just 0.33 goals per game in La Liga. They have conceded nine times in total and two of those were own goals. On Wednesday, he allowed four goals in a game for the first time all season, and it came at his home stadium against his most hated rival.
“The second goal was very bad for us,” said Xavi.
“We played against Real Madrid… They’re a great team… They showed their best level in the second half.”
There are 10 goals in the last two games for Real and with chelsea The Champions League quarter-finals are coming up next week, who’s going to bet against them? The gates of Anfield and now the Camp Nou were recently blown up.
It’s scary to think about what comes next. Modric is resting enough and it looks like he’s back at 30, Vinicius Jr. is pulling all the tricks and Benzema, well there’s nothing stopping him. Chelsea also saw that first-hand last season when they dropped a hat trick on them in the second half of their Champions League quarter-final clash.
On a night where the momentum for what was to come hung in the balance, only one team showed up for the entire game. Real have what it takes to conquer Europe, they usually do.
As for Barça, it is a team with a long way to go and with an uncertain future. With a UEFA investigation and financial problems plus player sales expected in the summer, it’s still an uphill road to get to the level they want, one where they’re contenders in Europe.
Elimination from the group stage of the Champions League and the first round of 16 of the Europa League suggest that Barça is far from the rhythm of being, once again, the elite. LaLiga glory is likely to be around the corner, which is nicebut on Wednesday, Real Madrid showed them what the elite is like.