Gil Manzano and Murphy's toast

Gil Manzano is the kind of referee whose demeanor speaks for itself: haughty, arrogant, unapproachable, and with a pathological tendency to send off anyone who's been getting on his nerves. If, on top of that, they pair him with Del Cerro Grande in the VAR booth, they have a very promising duo that will test the patience of even the most level-headed player in the dressing room, even if he's as cool as ice and his name is Frenkie de Jong. With the appointment of this star-studded pairing, the Technical Committee of Referees made a clear statement of intent directed at Barça during a very complicated week for Florentino Pérez. Conspiracy theories are generally tiresome, but in this particular case, it's very difficult to believe the choice was a coincidence. The Barça dressing room knew all this when they took to the pitch at Anoeta.

"I'm not disappointed with the referee because I know that's how he is," said Hansi Flick after the defeat. And he also asked us journalists, very mischievously, if the VAR guy was the same one who had disallowed a goal by Lewandowski last season: the déjà-vu The offside call against Lamine Yamal's heel was far too dubious. The refereeing mix at Anoeta encapsulated everything that has most unnerved the German coach since his arrival in the summer of 2024: the sense of injustice left by the Polish player's toe-poke, condemned by Del Cerro, the absurd criteria of Gil Manzano that led to his expulsion against Girona and his subsequent suspension. The tension was palpable, with a subtle performance that magnified Barça's frustration, who, it must be said, could have thrashed their opponent without the shadow of the referee's interference.

Barça didn't lose because of the referees' self-serving stumbles. The team fell to Real Sociedad because they missed very clear chances and committed defensive errors unbecoming of a league champion. As Pep Guardiola said: Barça cannot afford to leave what happens in a match to chance. With the worst referees at the helm and on a pitch that's as hard to swallow as concrete, you have to be perfect, and Flick's team, however brilliant they were with the ball at their feet, weren't perfect in the crucial moments. During their run of eleven consecutive victories, they had won matches they deserved to lose, and at Anoeta, Murphy's Law prevailed. And no, this time Gil Manzano and Del Cerro weren't decisive.