The hypotheses of Espanyol

Vicente Moreno, in the press room and after tiptoeing through the refereeing performance, as usual, settled with a “are hypotheses” and referred to the imaginary terrain to answer the question of whether a more daring Espanyol even before the 1-0 would have taken the points from the Camp Nou: “If we had done something different perhaps there would have been another result. Or not. We put ourselves in the one that interests us. The party plan was the one that has been given. If we had scored, we would talk about how everything would be perfect ”.

It is the unanswered question of the derby, the great doubt that cannot be resolved because the opportunity of the ‘sorpasso’ was lost in the referee’s decision of the penalty and everything that came after, from the failed shot of Nany Dimata to the posts of RdT, going through that first half in which only the Blue and Whites passed midfield. Again, everything is hypothesis, because the 1-0 caused Espanyol to take that step forward, but what if the 0-0 that would have happened remains?

With the data in hand, the reality of the game produced two totally different moments. Until that penalty, Barcelona overwhelmingly dominated possession (70-30%) and had more chances (12 shots to three)Some of them are clear, such as Ilias Chakkour who shot over the crossbar or Nico González after receiving a pass from Diego López. Although Barcelona did not find excessive depth and it was thick, they found shot situations, but they lacked aim.

Triple times in just 43 minutes

After 1-0, everything turned. Possession in that stretch was 60-40%, ten percent more for the Blue and Whites, who finished much more and clearly against the weak Barça defensive system, which found no peace with the changes: four shots by the locals for nine by the Blue and Whites. In total, the match was even in terms of opportunities, obviously marked by the referee’s decision and for the step forward of Espanyol just after, which caused the best opportunities to arrive between 65 and 85.

Espanyol’s image is partly reinforced by the good collective performance, the defensive involvement of players like Raúl de Tomás or Adrián Embarba, who sometimes have more difficulties. Also for the good management of those minutes behind on the scoreboard creating chances with the contribution of the bench. But, again, and although the scenario is intimidating, the Blue and Whites are still unable to win away from the RCDE Stadium and must rectify their approach with the scoreboard against. A Espanyol that is away from home turns like a weather vane, also in a Camp Nou full of hypotheses.