This would have to do for now but cannot do for much longer. Twice as many people were at the Camp Nou than the last time Barcelona played here in La Liga, 74,000 fans hoping to witness a brave new world. Instead, they watched as their side needed a Memphis Depay penalty to win the derby and begin the Xavi Hernández era with a victory the new coach described as “vital”. Just.
If the opening night started well enough, it ended in nerves and a feeling of déjà vu. Relief too. There was youth, optimism and in the first half signs of something good, but reality intervened and Barcelona had to hang on against Espanyol, familiar flaws revealed. To repeat Gerard Piqué’s now famous phrase, “it is what it is”, and it is too early for Barcelona to be anything other than a team with issues to address.