Bilbao never brings good memories. Not in finals, at least. Whatever competition, the Basque fighters have been a nightmare for the Catalans in the last months, but also the last years. Barcelona had a revenge to take. Done, with a comfortable 4–0 lead. But how come Barcelona rolled over Bilbao when Marcelino’s men won 2–3 in the final of the Super Cup in January?
Unlike in previous clashes, yesterday’s domination was one that was a real domination. No pointless passing, no menacing counter-attacks conceded, nothing of this. Instead, Barcelona was indeed the maestro during the full 90'. An orchestra that played in harmony from the first minutes. There were little changes since the 1–2 Clasico loss a weak earlier: Only Dembélé was replaced by Griezmann. But the animation, on the field, had significant changes. Though Bilbao let Barcelona have the ball — over 75% possession — Bilbao were never comfortable. Several factors can explain this, the first being Barcelona’s precise recoveries. Though Bilbao were never a possession-based team, nobody would mind having time on the ball. And that is something Bilbao never had, from the goal-kick to Williams. The centre-backs were unusually unstable, Simon forced long: Recipes for the catastrophe.