About That Thrashing of Atleti ... Wow

6-1. I think that says it all really. Atletico's Coupet actually did well in front of goal, believe it or not, and it could've easily been 8-1 or 9-1. But if anyone were to tell me we were going to put three away by the ten minute mark, and five by the half hour, I might've suggested easing up on the Red Bull. To say it was the perfect start to a match is massive understatement. I mean, quite bluntly, the last thing any supporter wants to see is the opposition offering, well, opposition. We want our boys to win hands down, no questions asked, no mercy taken. And, yesterday that's exactly what Barça did.

The question, however, that always surfaces after a victory, at least for me, is just how convincing was the win? I want to know if I can at least rest a week, confident our squad are on the right track and in good form. If there's something that warrants cause for concern, I want to know about it beforehand to temper this happy culé heart with a dash of seny, if you will. The worst sort of supporter anguish is the one that blindsides you, and so if a world of hurt is bound for the Blaugrana, then I want it right up the middle, front and center, square on, brace for impact.

This match against Atleti at the Nou Camp was very encouraging (duh?). We saw creativity, craft, energy and focus among the squad. We also saw an Atletico side without Maniche, Forlan, Simao, Seitardis and Pablo. Maxi was injured in the game albeit while actually scoring their only goal. Agüero was walking wounded, and was eventually replaced too. And to take matters into undiscovered territory, the Atletico coach, Aguirre, decided that with players being called up from the youth squad to shore up their depleted ranks, he was actually going to play Barça. That may seem an odd thing to say. After all a football match is all about playing on a pitch and banging more balls into the net than the other guys, right? But, here's the thing: almost nobody plays Barcelona. It's virtually unheard of except from the really strong clubs, and even then these sides often weigh their tactics toward the defensive. Give Barça an inch of space in the final third, and they'll slice you up faster than a benihana chef disintergrating an onion. Hence, nobody really plays the Blaugrana. But, strangely enough, Atleti did. At least in the first half. Aguirre has gone on record as saying his squad's terrible defeat was all his fault, and though Antonio Lopez begs to differ with his coach, I'm going to have to side with the Mexican. I mean, what was he thinking? In some ways, it can be seen as a noble gesture, but nobility doesn't put money in the bank. Winning does. Or at the very least, not losing (the general strategy of most of FCB's opposition, I might add--with a certain sense of pride).

Where does that leave me in assessing Barcelona's performance this match? Hm, good question. On the one hand, the boys made the most of their chances, and that was good to see. That could be an indication of their luck changing. On the other hand, the Catalan side were pretty much served this victory on a silver platter. All they had to do was execute with focus and energy. If anything, it's showing that Pep is doing his job fairly well. When you think about it, given the match's situation, any other result would've been a disappoint for FCB. So, good on them. Barça definitely performed to expectations. You really can't complain about that. Bottomline though? It was a lot of fun to watch. Hence, long live the attacking game.

Long live Barça.