Barcelona were not beaten, but they were battered in San Sebastián, leaving Luis Enrique to admit it had been ‘a miracle’ to escape with a point
At least he ate well. Luis Enrique returned to San Sebastián, the most beautiful place in Spain, land of Patxarán, pil-pil and pintxos, tapas nailed to bread with lethal-looking cocktail sticks, of T-bones the size of T-Rexes and more Michelin stars than anywhere in Europe, and left the way he did last time and the time before that; the way that FC Barcelona have left every time they’ve been since 2007. For almost a decade now, they’ve departed defeated. Emotionally, at least. Actually too, most of the time. Six months back Luis Enrique said that he’d go there to eat a chuletón, a great big steak, but not to watch football. After all, like Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova and Tata Martino before, he’d had a gut full of that.
Six times Barcelona had been to face Real Sociedad in the league (seven including a Copa del Rey draw) and they had lost five and not won one. On Sunday night Barcelona’s team included just one player who was there when they last went and won – Leo Messi was 19 that day – and the run extended to eight. Messi, 29 now, scored but six minutes before that so had Willian José and a 1-1 draw left his side six points behind Real Madrid six days before the clásico. There’s something about this place, alright: Real Sociedad have been to the second division since but still it goes on. “A miracle,” Luis Enrique called it.
Related: Barcelona scrape draw to leave Gerard Piqué despondent before El Clasíco
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