Looking ahead, Barcelona’s next five matches are Valencia, Dynamo Kyiv, Real Madrid, all at home, Rayo Vallecano on the road, and Alavés at home. Three of those teams are in the top half of the La Liga table, and a poor result against Dynamo Kyiv would be cataclysmic to the Blaugrana’s Champions League knockout hopes. Looking at the state the team is in now, does a return to the Camp Nou matter all that much?
That purple jersey that looked so sharp in contrast to the loud home jersey hasn’t done much winning. As interestingly noted by the fine folks at Football Kit News, this was the third time Barça had worn their purple kit in the league this season, none of the three (Cadíz, Athletic Club, and Atleti) have ended in wins for the Blaugrana. The road will continue to be hostile to Barcelona, as it always is, but the sanctuary of the Camp Nou could be just the remedy that the team needs.
The 30,000+ people that have been creating the home atmosphere pale in comparison to the possible 99,354 people that could be overwhelming unprepared visitors. Yet, both Real Sociedad and Levante looked hapless against Barça in Catalonia, and one must wonder how the crowd affected the visitors after close to a year without them.
For a player at FC Barcelona, where the pressure is constant and immense, the support of Culers could go a long way in getting results when they need them. The fans have already stated their issues with Samuel Umtiti and Sergi Roberto this season, but they did the opposite when Ansu Fati gave them a reason to hope again.
It’s also often lost on fans what the confines of a home match can entail for a younger player. For some, temptations and distractions abound, especially when surrounded by family and friends who are along for the ride. These diversions can multiply for a younger player new to fame. Even the likes of Ronaldinho and Laszlo Kubala were tempted the nights before home matches, but those special cases are the exceptions to human possibility, not the rule. For many of the new members of the first team, they have been trained off the field to anticipate this final jump to the first team. Ansu Fati, Gavi, Nico González, Riqui Puig, Óscar Mingueza, Ronald Araújo, Alejandro Balde, and even Eric García were all taught to stay focused when the lights get brightest. For all the actual football that is learned, the off-the-pitch professional development done at La Masia could rival any academy in the world.
In a season when so many of the youngsters are playing important roles, the boost of playing at home might be essential to the next month for the club. If the Camp Nou is indeed the sanctuary Culers think it is, Barcelona could be sitting in a much different spot a month from now.
For more on the man who’ll likely stay in charge for these matches, check out the latest edition of the podcast:
