Barcelona regained some respect against Valencia
Barçelona’s general assembly was the opportunity to finalize decisions on important matters, but instead was a fiasco. Firstly, it started in the early afternoon, with no real time to discuss and vote on as many things as intended. Secondly, of the more than four thousand delegates, not even eight hundred attended -- a very weak attendance given the importance of the issues on the table.
Later on that evening of course it was the more pressing matter of Valencia so everyone headed to the game. Espai Barça (the project to transform the FC Barcelona facilities in the Les Corts neighbourhood of Barcelona), legal action against Bartomeu, reform of the club statutes.. all that can wait. The solutions to this bump for Barça will only come with institutional patience (it seems that Laporta is already working on that) and good results, like that on the pitch yesterday.
Barcelona revitalized
Barça played a brave game against Valencia, conceding an initial goal to José Gayà that was soon answered by Ansu Fati, who has returned at his best -- fast, daring and forceful, as he was before his injury. He scored that goal and was the alleged victim for the penalty that Memphis Depay converted with a killer power strike. Philippe Coutinho, who replaced Fati in the 60th minute, scored the third.
"It is what it is," was Koeman’s evaluation following the 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich because the situation was exactly what it was. But now it is something else, because Fati is back, Jordi Alba has returned, Gavi has emerged, Pedri will return soon, Coutinho is beginning to do things and Agüero is ready for whatever the Dutchman needs.
The team has been revitalized and Koeman has changed his tune accordingly, from "it is what it is" to “Barça is here to fight for LaLiga”. He will have to show that on Sunday in El Clásico but for now his team has regained respect. The assemblies and statutes, we’ll talk about them another day.