Difference Between FC Barcelona And Real Madrid Shown By Alarming Stat
An alarming stat which surfaced on Wednesday night, and was highlighted by Spanish radio programs such as El Larguero and El Partidazo de Cope has highlighted a stark difference between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
La Liga's behemoths experienced polar opposite fortunes in their respective Champions League quarterfinals first leg ties midweek.
While defending champion and record 15-time winner Madrid was stuffed 3-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates and has a mountain to climb in the Bernabeu in just under a week, Barca - despite Hansi Flick's claims to the contrary - can perhaps consider itself qualified for the semifinals for the first time since 2019 thanks to thrashing last season's beaten finalist Borussia Dortmund 4-0.
Though folk often like to complicate it and spend hours analysing the sport and its intricacies, soccer is sometimes a simple sport with its outcome determined by factors such as who ran more.
As highlighted by Spanish radio, Madrid - whose players such as Kylian Mbbappe and Vinicius are being criticized for not mucking in defensively - collectively ran the least of all the teams that contested the UCL last eight at a total of 101.2 kilometers.
On the other end of the spectrum, Barca put in 15.5 kilometers more at a total of 115.7 kilometers, with the success of Flick's high-pressing, heavy metal style of play that sees goals scored at will.
Yet it must be noted that Barca didn't come out on top overall with the most distance covered by its players.
That accolade instead goes to Inter Milan which ran 125.6 kms to Bayern Munich's 123kms when beating that Bavarians 2-1 at the Allianz Arena, where coincidentally the final will be held on May 31.
If Barca does indeed get past Dortmund, it is either Milan or Munich that stands in the Blaugrana's way of reaching the decider in the last four.
This could serve as a warning that Barca will need to up the ante, though it can take courage from having already beaten Flick's former employers Munich 4-1 in Montjuic back in October as the UCL's new look league phase played out.
As has already been explained here before, running - and doing more of it - proved to be the difference in that triumph and the dark 8-2 drubbing in 2020 that Flick orchestrated on the other side of the ball.
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