Sometime early this year, as Barcelona prepared to knock Arsenal out of the Champions League competition, manager Luis Enrique was asked how he keeps a team that keeps winning motivated for continued wins. His response reeked of complacency. He said he simply says Abracadabra and sits back for the magic.
Well...that magic is no longer working. Someone needs to get him a mobile number for those Tanga-based witchdoctors who promise everything on earth. If his magic won’t work, perhaps he needs proper African juju.
Barcelona’s third consecutive defeat in the league has injected life into a title race that three weeks ago seemed as inanimate as a training ground cone. A more-than-healthy lead has been decimated and now Atletico Madrid are level at the top of the table with the previously runaway leaders, while Real Madrid have diligently gone about their domestic business to move to within a point of the top two. All of a sudden, boring La Liga could provide the most exciting run-in across the European leagues.
To say Luis Enrique is feeling the pressure after witnessing Barça’s nine-point lead at the top of La Liga vanish would be a mild understatement. They thought they had it wrapped. But apparently not. The two Madrid clubs Real and Atletico are squeezing them where it hurts.
Some have argued that since Barcelona booted Arsenal out of CL, they were infected with some mysterious losing virus that they are yet to cure. True to that observation, Barca have not won a match. Conversely their title rivals have kept winning their matches since. Has Barca finally bungled it?