If the match script would have been written beforehand, many of us would have imagined the sensations that were about to arise. A fresher Athletic Club physically and mentally with clear ideas against a stiff Barcelona, always an instant late to every action and with several rotations. The centre-backs were Bartra and Vermaelen. Rafinha and Sergi Roberto played in the midfield and the left flank was in charge of Adriano and Pedro, two players linked to Roma and Manchester United, respectively. The sensations were predictable. The final outcome was unthinkable.

Athletic defended halfway the pitch with two lines of four men each, with an intense and intelligent young Eraso closing in on Mascherano and an Aduriz placed up front. Barcelona was patient with the possession until Athletic moved forward the pressure when seeing the opponent was imprecise, encouraged by the San Mamés crowd. Three clear chances in a row had the Basques. The fourth chance wasn’t even a dangerous one, after a long ball that left half the team in offside. But ter Stegen, instead of waiting for the ball in the penalty area, cleared it with a header and the ball landed in Mikel San José’s feet, who controlled it and made the long-range shot. The German goalkeeper, out of position after his deficient play, couldn’t avoid the goal.

Without game elaboration, Athletic had enough with pressuring or attempting to pressure, in order to disquiet a Barcelona team which couldn’t connect with the midfield or was able to find Messi, who moved back his position each time more, desperate to participate in the game. Valverde’s ranks defended as a block and they attacked Barcelona’s weak flank: Adriano’s band, who was lacking intensity and rhythm, doubtfully when defending and out of position.

Barcelona committed the already known mistakes: they were predictable with the possession when they couldn’t find Messi or didn’t have the passing intelligence of a player like Busquets, Pedro’s struggles to be productive with a ball away from the area and Bartra’s recurrent eagerness, trying to anticipate the striker when the situation requires to hold the defensive line. On his behalf, Vermaelen gave a good impression, winning the aerial duels versus Aduriz and showing more confidence than Bartra and Adriano.

Barcelona had just one clear chance in the entire first half, a Messi free-kick by the edge of the area which Iraizoz managed to clear away. Truth be told, Athletic didn’t worry ter Stegen that much either, but they always gave the feeling to be ruling over the match, bar the first five minutes mirage.

Athletic’s group pressure and the Catalan indifference couldn’t continue in the second half too. The match resumed with a Pedro’s shot to the post and another Iraizoz block against Messi. Iniesta was subbed in, but he didn’t have the chance to touch the first ball. Sergi Roberto lost it in his own half, Sabin Merino dribbled Alves and his cross was nailed by Aduriz for the second goal. When it seemed the tide could change, the Basques took advantage of Roberto’s mistake, who was later subbed off by Rakitic.

Barça’s collective level was poor but the individual performance in some players was poorer. Like in the previous goal, the most recent player on the pitch -Rakitic- wasn’t able to be involved in the game. An Adriano’s misdoing allowed the perfect script for Athletic: Aduriz didn’t hesitate to bring the score to 3-0. The tragicomedy was such that in a corner-kick sent to the far post, the referee sentenced an absurd foul by Alves in the near post. Aduriz scored the penalty. A deranged Barça. The champ was KO.

Until the end of the match, Barcelona never gave the feeling they could be present in the scoreboard. The substitutions -Sandro Ramírez also entered the pitch- couldn’t do anything to change the match dynamic. Athletic was a fierce lion and Barcelona was the prey unable to fight for its survival.

There are several reasons for this outcome and we must honored the victors today. Valverde’s team believed in themselves from kickoff. They played a high-pressure defense despite the danger it means leaving Suárez so much space ahead of him, they had very close defensive lines, extreme intensity when looking for the rejection or the continuous play, they closed ranks against Messi whom Balenziaga followed closely but without trying to knock him down -something essential to attempt to stop him- and they count with a supreme Aduriz who conditions any scheme and match when his teammates help him. Bartra didn’t figure out how to stop him. Piqué’s absence demonstrated his relevance in Barcelona’s system. Athletic dominance didn’t mean many clear chances but the ones they had were scored with accuracy.

One the Catalan side, there are numerous reflections. The first is the most obvious one. Luis Enrique’s team didn’t have the ideal preparation, with just one training session before the match. That’s why there were rotations, searching to have the majority of the players at a competitive level. It didn’t work out well because the substitutes performance usually is light years away from the one of the starters, the team didn’t aid them and the game system doesn’t protect them, since the team went from the polished positions system of previous years to depend almost entirely on the trident brilliance. But that was how the treble was achieved the last season. Today, Messi, the team’s alpha and omega, was absent and even so he had two clear scoring chances saved by Iraizoz.

From everywhere the team’s lack of attitude will be trumpeted, yet this is not a cause of the debacle, but a consequence given the poor physical state and performance of the chosen ones for the starting XI. All of this centered around the well-known intensity: Athletic ran, but they did it in a smart way. Barcelona fell early in despair when facing a complicated situation and didn’t know how to recover after the Basques landed the first punch.

Hail to Athletic, for using their advantage in the match preparation and for facing the clash as they should do: believing in themselves was the first step. Barcelona must understand the importance of vital players like Piqué or Busquets, regain the competitive drive of their best days and look deeper on the evident collective and individual defensive issues, which turned them today in a caricatured team.