It wasn't the prettiest Barcelona win but there were plenty of encouraging signs for Tata Martino's team.
Despite a 2-0 victory on Wednesday in a Cup semi-final first leg over difficult opponents it would appear that all is still not well in the world of Barcelona, which is perhaps more a symptom of the times we live in than the actual reality of the situation.
In this new age of instant reaction on social media where everybody is able to share opinion in real time alongside the already traditional media overload, it was possible to hear all types of negative comments about Barca's win over Real Sociedad.
The general opinion was that Barca was lucky to come out of the first leg so close to the final. Indeed both Spanish Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night left us with very little doubt about who will be in the final on April 19 as Real Madrid won their home tie 3-0 over Atletico Madrid in very different circumstances, but again enjoying a few strokes of luck.
For Barca, most of the post match talk had been negative. Once again the poor refereeing debate has lifted its ugly head as Real Sociedad were denied what looked to be a penalty and a certain sending off for Javier Mascherano just before Barca's first goal.
To make matters worse the ref then sent off the Sociedad player Inigo Martinez for challenging his decision after the Barca goal. If you watch again the incident in which Mascherano is supposed to bring down Carlos Vela, as he surged in on goal, you will see the referee is at least thirty to forty metres behind the play and in no position to see if there exists foul play by Mascherano. Even with the luxury of various TV replays with a frontal view it is difficult to judge who pulls who down.
Understandably, the Real coach Jagoba Arrasate felt aggrieved after the game claiming "everyone has seen; it was clearly a penalty and a red card. The ref has not been brave enough to give it but he has to then send Inigo Martinez off."
What the sending off did achieve was to spoil what was turning into a pulsating cup tie, but according to the referee's report he was merely following the letter of the law by sending Martinez from the pitch after the player shouted obscenities at him following an initial booking for complaining.
Conspiracy theories abound in Spain when it comes to the big two, they normally revolve around rumours of favours from referees and administrators alike and sometimes they are very hard to disbelieve, but on Wednesday it is more likely that Barca struck lucky from hard decisions the referee Gonzalez had to make in a short but vital period of time just before the break.
The fact that Barca only managed to add one more goal, a very fortunate one at that as the Sociedad keeper pushed the goal into his own goal, in the second half against a stoic ten man defence added further to the idea that they got more from the game than they deserved.
All of that talk takes away from much good play in what was another typical passing performance from Barca who enjoyed a enjoyed a record for the season 83 percent of the possession. The team made 807 passes to Real's 157, while Xavi on his own produced just 20 passes less than the away side.
Despite these stats, one twitter feed that specializes in 24-hour coverage of all matters Barca described the first period as 'not a good half' by the Catalans.
On the full time whistle the Madrid based Marca nailed its colours firmly to the mast. The online version of the paper triumphantly lauded Real´s 3-0 win over Atlético, with two deflected goals, directly next to a report that described Barca's play as 'without shine' under a headline that cried 'all in Barca's favour'.
What this reporting fails to underline is that Barca managed 26 shots to La Real's 3, it also plays down the defensive toughness of strong opponents that qualified for the Champions Leaue last season and are having another good season in La Liga.
Much of Barca's play o'n Wednesday was reminiscent of the first half against Valencia on Saturday when they were dominant. What happened afterwards we all know and is the reason Atletico Madrid now lead the La Liga table.
Sergio Busquets, who had a poor game on Saturday, scored on Wednesday and was his side's best performer and Barca can only be accused of playing one half of bad football in those last two games. Every side is allowed that luxury.
The reality is that form and results have dipped slightly but Barca remain well positioned in three competitions, many commentators and media outlets will have you think all is not well and the season is going to cave in on the club at anytime. Do not believe them just yet, there is a long way to go.
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