The situation
The Camp Nou has traditionally been the best thermometer to assess the mood of the fans. A sudden drop in supporters in the stands for a long time signaled a dangerous disaffection, surely the product of a series of poor results or a very disappointing game . On the other hand, an increase in the number of Catalans on the pitch was clearly synonymous with the fact that the team was ‘hooking’ the stands and that enthusiasm was being generated. This season there is a meteoric rise in the presence of fans at the Camp Nou , a clear sign that people are more than satisfied with Xavi’s project. In this beginning of the season authentic records have been experienced, which had not been seen in the Camp Nou for years, such as in the visit of Inter Milan last week, where more than 94,000 fans gathered.
The details
In fact, the average so far is more than 80,000 Catalans per game: the friendly against Manchester City (91,062), Elche (85,073), Valladolid (83,972), UNAM Tigres at the Gamper (83,021), Celta (81,525) and Vallecano Ray (81,104). There is only one game that has had a presence of less than 80,000 fans this season: the game that opened the Champions League against Viktoria Plzen, where 77,481 fans gathered. There is no doubt that the next three games at the Camp Nou (Villarreal, Athletic and Bayern Munich) will mark a little what the tendency of the culé is against the team. We’ll see if the latest setbacks in the Champions League and La Liga have affected people’s enthusiasm or if the member is still ‘hooked’ on the team as from day one. The first litmus test will be tonight against Villarreal. A game that, being played during the week and at 9:00 p.m., could end up conditioning the presence of the fan. A presence of more than 75,000 followers in the stands would be a clear demonstration that the member has not yet left the Xavineta.