The first 10 minutes seemed encouraging enough, but as we got dragged and pulled all over the pitch throughout the remainder of the first half, I slowly and quite utterly descended into a very dark place. (I have to admit it didn"t help that I was surrounded by individuals who felt that it was somehow interesting or even sophisticated to shout things like, "Fucking pick it up Arsenal!", or, "How can you let Xavi turn on you like that!"...brilliant.) My soul had been repeatedly ripped to shreads with every Barcelona one-two. My bones were being pulled in increasingly awkard positions every time Barca pulled Arsenal from one side of the pitch to the other. Of course we had chances early, but by the 40th minute, the chances we had in the final third were being taken with legs that had chased the ball for, literally, 30 minutes.
I was truly humbled, FC Barcelona had hurt me personally.
"How could they make it look so easy?"...
And then I remembered just how hard it actually is as a football team to perpetually be in supporting positions on the pitch the way that Barca does. It is nearly impossible for 90 minutes against average teams and we are certainly not average. Still, until RVP scored I was thinking about chucking it all and living a monastic life under the Brooklyn Bridge. I've lost my sanity with respect to this team years ago, I understand this. It can say, however, (with true sincerity and no small amount of shame) that the last thing I remember after Arshavins' confident finish was screaming "Let's get fucking mental, let's get fucking mental, na na na na, na na na na." I still can't understand, though, why my better half is starting to hate this team? The last time I sang this song was over two years ago!!
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