High drama at Camp Nou. Barcelona were seeking a reaction against Valencia after back-to-back defeats in the Primera Division and European elimination on Wednesday. But instead they suffered yet another disastrous defeat and now there is a real risk they will end up throwing it all away at the end of this season.
Barca had not lost three in a row in La Liga since February 2003. Back then, the Catalans scraped into Europe in sixth spot on the final day. It was their worst league finish in the modern era, one of their darkest hours. So that something similar should occur during their period of domination is surprising to say the least.
Just a few days ago, Luis Enrique's side still had their eyes on a second successive treble. They were expected to beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and remained favourites to claim the trophy along with La Liga and the Copa del Rey. But after their exit at the Vicente Calderon and this latest loss, now nothing seems certain in the remainder of the current campaign.
In their last five fixtures prior to this one, Barca had won only one. That was a 2-1 success at home to Atletico in the first leg of the teams' Champions League quarter-final and it came against 10 men after Fernando Torres was sent off. It also turned out to be meaningless anyway as Diego Simeone's side advanced to the last four in their place.
Before that, there was a 2-2 draw at Villarreal when Barca let a two-goal lead slip, defeat at home to Real Madrid in the Clasico, a 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad last weekend and then the 2-0 reverse away to Atletico. Ahead of this one, Luis Enrique spoke of a reaction, but again his players were unable to produce it.
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