“We give everything to the end!” The cry of Marc-André Ter Stegen, captain this Tuesday at Barça due to the absences of Messi, Piqué, Busquets and Sergi Roberto, echoed throughout the Olimpiskiy in Kiev and surprised for good. First, because it was the 85th minute and Barça were already winning 0-3 at Dinamo. And then why It was the best summary that, for the first time in a long time, Barça showed passion. And commitment.
This time, it was not Barça that did not go to protect Pedri in Getafe after a hard tackle by Cabaco or Nyom's reproaches to Ansu; that did not protest the penalty of Lenglet to Ramos in the Classical, who almost overlooked Piqué's injury at Wanda; that he is unable to wriggle in the face of bad results, as if he has already gotten used to them. That Barça turned around in Kiev. The voices of the footballers who were not headlines were heard from the bench. The protests for not giving a corner kick at 0-2 in the second half were heard throughout the stadium. A matter of concentration, or of courage, the fact is that a more vehement team became apparent in Kiev.
And, above all, the voice of Ter Stegen rose. “Great Oscar!”, The German goalkeeper yelled at him in the first minutes when he launched to abort a distant shot from Dinamo. Because Mingueza had started a bit nervous and without measuring the distance or getting on the line with Lenglet. The screams of Ter Stegen, however, brought him peace of mind. There have long been voices demanding a place for Ter Stegen in the captaincy. From the outside, at least, it conveys an image of commitment to the club that the fans like. His contract extension, lowering his initial claims, when he wanted to be the best goalkeeper in the world, to adapt to the economic problems of the Barça club, are a wink and a sign of acceptance to the current context. It is very likely that Ter Stegen, with a contract until 2025 and a clause of 500 million, be one of the captains of the next renewal.
A Barça, finally, in which the players demonstrated passion, commitment and, above all, a solidarity with their teammates that seemed forgotten in a team in which each one made war on their own in silence. Not because of a question of egos or envy, but of pure losing routine. Perhaps two things had to do with that. The presence of multiple homegrown players in the team with the shield engraved with fist and fire; and the hunger of the new ones like Dest, Pedri or Trincao. “Hunger,” Koeman repeated twice after the game. They gave everything to the end, as requested by Ter Stegen. And on top, at least this time, they won.