The inevitable has to be accepted. FC Barcelona have failed to qualify for the knockout round of Champions League for the first time in 20 years. Now they will have to get used to the Thursday matches of second-tier Europa League.
Everyone saw it coming from the first match of the group stage when Bayern Munich ran roughshod over the side then coached by Ronald Koeman. And on Wednesday, in Munich, it was Bayern again who threw Barca, now helmed by club legend Xavi Hernandez, out of the Champions League.
In the last 14 months, starting from August 14, 2020, Bayern have scored 14 goals against Barcelona — 8-2, 3-0 and 3-0. There is another interesting bit of statistics. Wednesday’s loss was the Spanish giants’ 10th defeat by three or more goals in the Champions League since February 2017. Those face-losses were overseen by five different coaches.
So when after the match a candid Thomas Mueller said Barca do not have the intensity to play at the top level, few disagreed.
“I think Barca can’t cope with the intensity,” he said. “Technically, they have it all, they are great players tactically and technically. But they can’t cope with the intensity in top-level football,” Mueller, whose looping header gave Bayern their first goal, told a news outlet.
Barcelona these days are making some of the rival players look very good. For example, Leroy Sane on Wednesday. The way he tormented Barcelona had to be seen to be believed.
What on earth was Marc-Andre ter Stegen doing when Sane’s 25-metre shot came to him? A non-existent midfield and pathetic defence had given Sane a chance for a hat-trick on a platter. Unfortunately Sane could not make full use of them. Young Jamal Musiala got the third to ensure Bayern win all their six matches.
“Bayern were better, superior,” Xavi said after the match. “This is the harsh reality we have to face. I have told players that this is a turning point. Today a new era begins and we have to take Barca where it deserves to be, which is not the Europa League.
“I am frustrated because this is our reality. We start from scratch and we have to get Barca back to fighting for the Champions League. I now feel responsible. Now we have to win the Europa League.”
But does the new era that Xavi is speaking about begin now? May be not. They may still lose the Europa League play-off match and bow out; finish outside the top-four of Spanish League which could see them missing out on a Champions League berth for the first time since 2003. They are placed seventh right now and the domestic form also doesn’t look too impressive. Real Madrid are 16 points ahead of them.
So more humiliation could be in store for the once kings of the world whose scintillating brand of football used to be the reference point for coaches.
With Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez gone, Barcelona have lost the fear-factor which helped them wriggle out of tough matches. Now to regain glory, may be a complete overhauling is needed. There are talented youngsters in Pedri, Ansu Fati, Gavi and Nico but either they are injured or are works-in-progress.
Spanish midfielder Pedri, 19, played more than 70 matches for club and country last season and missed most of this season nursing injury. Fati returned after being sidelined for a year only to get injured again. They badly need a striker now, may be someone like Edinson Cavani, during the January transfer window.
In January 2004, a loan move of Edgar Davids from Juventus had changed the dimension of the struggling team. An ever-smiling Ronaldinho, along with Davids, Xavi and Carles Puyol, had led the resurgence. Sadly, there is little hope of something similar now.
