When he scores half of what he has, we'll be amazed: Atlético de Madrid vs. Barça hot tips

BarcelonaBarça's victory at Atlético Madrid. The Blaugranas are in the Copa del Rey final. Here are some quick notes.

Knowing how to suffer. The treble, which would be their third in sixteen years, continues to beat strongly in the hearts of the Catalans. Real Madrid are also aiming for it, but the sensations of the Blaugranas are diametrically opposed to those of the Blancos, who convey little solidity and seem capable of failing in any situation. At the Metropolitano, Flick's disciples sublimated their game in the first half and merely survived in the second. However, it cannot be said, or even insinuated, that the spoils achieved against Simeone's team were unfair or even excessive. Quite the contrary: Barça's suffering was noble and grounded. Special mention must go to Kounde and Iñigo Martínez, imperial in that timid agony.

It will be a weapon of mass destruction. At 17 years old, Lamine Yamal is Barça's finest exponent. Pedri aside, there is no Barça player as decisive—both in presence and absence—as the winger from Rocafonda. Normally, he's in contention for the Ballon d'Or, and depending on the circumstances, he might win it. This prodigy shouldn't be overlooked just because he's a regular. It's not out of habit that we should forget that anyone who inspires Barça fans is a minor. Just thinking that Lamine will blow out 28 candles in 2035 shows how brutally opponents suffer him today, as if he were the devil, and how he improves absolutely every play that passes through his legs. When he scores half of the ones he has, we'll be amazed.

A very light red. If the excitement continued in the second half, it's because Barça didn't capitalize on all their chances in the first half and also because Munuera Montero, who set the bar for bookings quite low from the first minute, handed out a red card that everyone but him saw. Azpilicueta violently tackled Raphinha, earning a yellow card, and VAR called in the Andalusian referee to revise the punishment upwards. It's true that it was only the first foul of the match and the tie would have lost its charm, but since when have the rules been applied with this variable in mind?

The team supports the club. It may sound cliché, but it's exactly like that. It was rightly said when Messi was setting records and leading a Barça team that won league titles with insulting authority while Bartomeu's board ran the club recklessly in the offices and courts. The maxim also applies when seeing the current Laporta managing the victimhood that so criticized Núñez for explaining the umpteenth financial sleight of hand. The Barça president has no one to audit his accounts, he associates with strange suppliers, he has silenced criticism at Montjuïc, he has been overly optimistic about the Camp Nou, and he is under indictment for alleged fraud. In return, he is fortunate to have signed Flick and has a very loud charisma. When the ball stops going in, who will cover his shame?