'I did not come here to lose these types of matches.' remarked Ilkay Gundogan in the post-game conference, visibly distraught following a defeat which could have and even should have been more—much more. Barcelona want to win every game; week in, week out, they run out onto the pitch with a single goal: to win. And Clasicos? Well, Clasicos are war more than they are football. And you don't want to win wars; you must win them.

Funnily enough, Gundogan is not a loud person; his calm, unimposing, soft-spoken voice would probably go better alongside a happy jingle about the new Camp Nou or in a TV commercial urging you to adopt a cute puppy from the shelter. But last night, his voice thundered across Catalonia and hopefully the dressing room too.

'I don't want to say anything wrong, but I was in the dressing room and there was disappointment, but to be honest, I would've liked to see more frustration and anger. There should be stronger feelings.' he continued, making it clear he's not going to settle for anything less than victory. And that's exactly the type of mentality Barcelona need.