Chapter 23: The Catalan Pulse
September 9, 2017 – Camp Nou, La Liga Matchday 3: FC Barcelona vs. Espanyol
There was no need to hype the fixture.
The Derby de Barcelona was its own kind of war—less tactical, more personal.
It wasn't about league position. It was about territory. About tone.
Espanyol wasn't elite. But they came to ruin nights.
And Noah Marlowe knew—ruin starts with rhythm.
Pre-Match – Locker Room Atmosphere
The room buzzed with something sharper than normal anticipation.
Not fear.
Not nerves.
Just tension.
Noah stood quietly, letting the hum settle before speaking.
"They'll press without discipline," he said. "They'll hack. Delay. Mock. That's not a strategy—that's noise."
He turned to Busquets.
"You control the silence."
To Messi:
"You break the silence."
To Puig:
"This isn't a lab. It's a fight. But stay a surgeon."
And finally, to the full team:
"We don't just represent this badge. We represent how it should play. And how it should win."
Starting XI vs. Espanyol
GK: Ter Stegen
DEF: Piqué – Umtiti – Semedo
MID: Busquets – Rakitic – Puig
AM: Messi
FOR: Alba – Suárez – Mbappé
Pedri on the bench. Iniesta and Roberto rested. Controlled rotation.
Kickoff – Minute 1 to 15
Espanyol pressed like street fighters.
Early fouls. Chippy tackles. Late feet.
Messi was clipped twice within ten minutes.
Suárez jawed at the referee.
Puig was body-checked off a simple pass.
But Barcelona didn't fold.
They adapted.
Minute 12 — Busquets intercepted a poor clearance and fed Puig.
Puig calmly turned and slipped a one-touch ball to Messi.
Messi surged forward. Beat one. Beat two. Curled it low.
GOAL – Messi.
1–0 Barcelona.
He didn't celebrate.
He walked straight to Puig and pointed.
"That," he mouthed, "was the rhythm."
Minute 19 – Espanyol's Equalizer
Espanyol reacted with fury.
Long ball over the top.
Umtiti was caught high.
Semedo couldn't recover in time.
Baptistão fired near-post.
GOAL – Espanyol.
1–1.
The crowd hissed.
Noah didn't blink.
He tapped his tablet.
"Umtiti caught in staggered phase. Defensive sync -12%. Reset required."
Minute 30 – Messi Responds
Messi dropped deep to collect.
Espanyol followed with two bodies.
He juggled once. Spun out.
Fed the ball wide to Mbappé.
Sprint. Cut-in. Back to Messi.
First touch, then whip.
GOAL – Messi. His second.
2–1 Barcelona.
Noah whispered to his assistant:
"And that's why you don't program Messi. You release him."
Halftime – Words of Fire
Noah kept the speech short.
"To win this league, we don't just need dominance," he said. "We need discipline under fire."
Then he looked at Puig.
"You okay?"
Puig wiped sweat from his neck. "Tight pressure. But the rhythm's still there."
"Good," Noah said. "Now learn how to keep it when the world wants to break it."
Second Half – Minute 46 to 70
Barcelona slowed the pace.
Busquets acted like a sponge, absorbing every second ball.
Puig began to orbit him naturally, spacing out like a veteran.
Minute 55 — a fast counter led by Mbappé ended in a shot saved.
Minute 61 — Semedo overlapped and cut back to Suárez.
Shot. Goal.
3–1 Barcelona.
This time, the celebration was full.
Minute 72 – Pedri Comes On
The stadium blinked.
The board lifted:
Out – Rakitic
In – Pedri
His debut.
He took the field with calm shoulders, loose legs, and darting eyes.
First touch: a shield-and-pivot under pressure.
Second touch: a pass right into Busquets' stride.
Then he drifted into zone 14, like he belonged there.
Noah smiled.
Minute 83 – The Final Blow
Pedri received the ball from Puig.
Paused.
Spotted Messi pulling wide.
A disguised diagonal floated through the lines.
Messi trapped it. Took one touch.
Looked up.
Then curled it low into the far corner.
GOAL – Messi. Hat trick.
4–1 Barcelona.
Camp Nou thundered.
"Messi Hat Trick Confirmed.
Pedri Assist (First).
Tactical Sync: 91%."
Final Whistle – Barcelona 4 – 1 Espanyol
Not just a win.
A message.
A local war won with elegance.
Post-Match – Journalists React
"Messi's hat trick puts him top of the scoring charts," one reporter noted. "Three games, seven goals. What's changed?"
Noah shrugged.
"Nothing. We just stopped dimming his light."
Another asked, "Puig and Pedri both excelled. Is this the future?"
Noah responded calmly.
"It's the present."
Elsewhere – Madrid (Zidane's Study)
Zidane replayed the Pedri-Messi goal.
The kid saw it.
Under pressure.
No fear.
Zidane turned to his analyst.
"They're not just building tactics. They're building trust."
The analyst asked, "Still think they'll crack?"
Zidane leaned back.
"Yes. But now it'll take more than pressure."
Elsewhere – London, England
At Stamford Bridge, Antonio Conte's Chelsea had just edged past Leicester City 2–1. But the post-match talk centered around Barcelona.
Hazard shook his head in a Sky Sports interview.
"Messi looks like he's 25 again," he said. "That system fits him better than any I've seen."
One reporter asked, "Would you ever consider playing in that system?"
Hazard smiled.
"I'd consider anything that lets me play with Messi."
Final Scene – Tactical System Summary
Match Result: Barcelona 4 – 1 Espanyol
Goals: Messi (3), Suárez (1)
Assists: Puig (1), Pedri (1), Mbappé (1), Semedo (pre-assist)
Messi Rating: 10.0
Puig: 91% pass rate, 3 progressive carries
Pedri: 1 assist, 93% positioning sync
Team Status: Ascending
Next Fixture: Champions League Group Stage – Draw Pending
The system pulsed:
"Pulse secured.
Youth awakened.
The world listens.
The next gate opens."