There’s been comprehensible consternation from those that are both of an Barcelona persuasion or who merely like and respect Hansi Flick, after they noticed the state of the German coach on Saturday. The Spanish champions had crushed Alavés 3-1 at dwelling to go clear on the high of LaLiga regardless of the guests taking the lead after 44 seconds.
Flick was again on the touchline of the membership’s beloved Camp Nou for under the second time since its re-opening, following an extended interval of intensive renovations. And but the Barça boss seemed like a person who’d gained the lottery jackpot, however misplaced the ticket: slumped in his seat lengthy after the ultimate whistle, wanting like there have been tears in his eyes, carrying a clean thousand-yard stare, with a metaphorical black cloud over his head. Certainly one of his gamers, Raphinha, was standing over him protectively, seeking to all of the world as if he had been counselling his boss. And this after a victory.
– Barcelona vs. Atlético: Stream LIVE 12/1, 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+ (U.S.)
– Chaos for Barcelona: Reranking Champions League after MD5
– Bonmatí breaks leg in coaching forward of Nations League decider
Barcelona briefed that their coach was annoyed at not with the ability to talk with the fourth official, however no one believed the celebration line. Many who comply with the membership interpreted his manner as because of the repeated lackadaisical flaws he sees in a staff he retains promising will enhance, however which as a substitute retains on churning up the identical errors and, frankly, the identical air of complacency the place they’re speculated to be respiratory hearth and brimming with depth. To not ignore his disappointment at two of his assistants, Markus Sorg and José Ramon De La Fuente, incurring pink playing cards. However there’s one other potential rationalization.
Flick had watched his staff wrestle to comprise a nomadic striker named Lucas Boyé, and his coronary heart sunk within the information that the real article, a man who makes Boyé appear to be a docile light-weight, is coming to city.
That man is Atlético Madrid striker Alexander Sørloth. He is a lifeless ringer for Alan Ritchson, who performs Jack Reacher within the TV sequence, and a few of his options to scoring and profitable are Reacher-esque in that no one who stands in his path comes away with out bruises — a minimum of to their ego.
The massive centre-forward is, together with Erling Haaland, a part of the rationale that Norway are going to the FIFA World Cup for the primary time this century. He is additionally one of many many explanation why, for the umpteenth time lately, even the cynics may be tempted to tip Atlético Madrid as potential title winners.
Atlético coach Diego Simeone and his Colchoneros are at Camp Nou on Tuesday, someplace they’ve nonetheless not gained for nearly 20 years (final December’s away win was on the Olympic Stadium). Whether or not Sørloth begins or makes an attempt to do harm off the bench, there is no escaping the truth that when he sees Blaugrana shirts he will get the whiff of mustard in his nostrils and prepares to dish out ache.
He is gained in opposition to Barça in Barcelona for Actual Sociedad in 2023 when La Actual beat Barça away for the primary time in 32 years; for Villarreal in January final 12 months, netting the decisive aim in a wild 5-3 recreation that successfully marked the top for Flick’s predecessor, Xavi Hernández; and he scored the winner in opposition to Flick’s staff virtually precisely a 12 months in the past as Atleti gained 2-1 in Catalonia for the primary time since 2006. Again then, Fernando Torres was the massive, menacing blond fella up entrance. It is a function Sørloth has adopted with gleeful menace.
Would possibly that be why Flick was wanting so morose regardless of profitable on Saturday? A flight of fancy, possibly, however take a look at the stats.
The 6-foot-5 ahead has confronted Barça 9 occasions, scoring six and producing three assists — his finest report in opposition to any of the 238 membership and worldwide opponents he is confronted in his 14-year profession. And the overwhelming majority of these Reacher-style, hard-impact moments in opposition to Spain’s reigning champions have come away from dwelling: both at Camp Nou or Montjuic.
Simeone would not at all times pair Sørloth with Julián Álvarez when choosing his ‘finest’ Atleti XI. And there was a stage final season when the 2 strikers did not fairly appear on the identical wavelength. However the coach could be totally mad not to take action right here.
Final season Sørloth outstripped the way more costly, better-paid and, admittedly, World Cup-winning Alvarez. The Norwegian notched 24 targets and two assists in 2,145 aggressive minutes for Atleti in LaLiga, the UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey: a aim contribution each 82.5 minutes. This season? 4 targets, however in simply seven begins out of a potential 19. It is a data that positively screams “nemesis.”
In case you are questioning what prompted him to turn out to be this Barça-kryptonite it is partly as a result of, as a child, he was an enormous fan of Didier Drogba — the previous Chelsea striker who twice scored the winner in opposition to Barça and twice eradicated them from the Champions League.
“I used to be a Chelsea fan rising up, so he was by far my favorite striker,” Sørloth instructed FIFA earlier this 12 months. “I preferred the physicality of his play. Gamers might kick 50 metres lengthy balls to him, with snow on them, and he would nonetheless get it down and be harmful.”
It is also as a result of younger Sørloth was a nationwide champion at ice hockey and handball — he reckons that taught him toughness, flexibility and aggressive ‘smarts’. About his personal warrior standing, he added: “I just like the bodily battles and the combat with the defenders. I really favor to play in opposition to the massive ones. If I play in opposition to small ones, I get extra free kicks in opposition to me!”
Tuesday’s recreation might properly be pivotal on this season’s title race. Final season the 4 Barça-Atleti matches gifted us 18 targets, Barça trailed in three of these video games however solely misplaced as soon as and. With Actual Madrid stuttering, most lately in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Girona, whoever wins at Camp Nou that is assured to finish the evening high of LaLiga.
However while you watch, regulate poor previous Flick. He’ll be a bit extra solitary in his Barça dugout on condition that these two employees members, No. 2 Sorg and goalkeeping coach De La Fuente, will probably be banned after being despatched off in opposition to Alavés. And, though his staff have an equivalent factors haul (34) after 14 matches as on the similar stage final season’s title-winning marketing campaign, he is vastly underwhelmed with them, even admitting: “We do not have the management and depth we had final season”
That will probably be music to the ears of Atleti’s hulking nice Jack Reacher lookalike. Look out Barça: right here comes Sørloth.