Five reasons that explain the historical debacle of the Barça

The Champions League has been one more year Barça’s thermometer. After the hits against Rome, Liverpool or Juventus, on this occasion the Catalans have said goodbye to the maximum continental competition at the first exchange rate. Benfica and Bayern have been the executioners of a team that from its debut showed that being in the round of 16 was going to be a more complicated mission than usual. In addition to the constant injuries, the last suffered by Memphis Depay in Munich, these are the five reasons that explain a historical debacle.

Barcelona focused all its efforts during the summer market on retaining Leo Messi. The plan was to keep a player who used to save furniture when things didn’t work out and who provided essential income for the club. The strategy did not work and Joan Laporta did not have a Plan B with which to reinforce the team before the departure of the Argentine star. The consequence was a sports planning that was decimated and that concluded with the Catalans going to the market at the last minute in search of a bargain, as it ended up being the incorporation of Luuk de Jong, a forward light years from the level of Messi or Antoine Griezmann.

Xavi has found on his return to Can Barça a totally different team from the one he left when he was fired as a player. Wherever Messi, Suárez, Iniesta or the current coach of Tarrasa changed, there are footballers with a lower profile. The Blaugranas are a team that mixes players who should be in their best moment and are not, such as Frenkie de Jong, Dembélé or Coutinho, and young promises who point out ways but who still need time to grow like Gavi, Nico, Pedri or Abde . The result is a team under construction that is halfway through and in which footballers are still expected to take a step forward.

It has been a general trend since the season began. Koeman complained, then Sergi and then Xavi. Barça does not have a goal and in the Champions League that pays dearly. In the six group stage games he has only managed to see the goal on two occasions, both against Dinamo Kiev and has been left to zero against Benfica and Bayern. The figures of the Catalans are the worst of the entire competition, only behind those of Dinamo Kiev (1) and Malmo (1), both eliminated last.

“This is what there is,” said Gerard Piqué after his debut against Bayern in the first game of the group stage. That day Barça fell 0-3 and a message began to spread that with the current squad it was not possible to compete against the most powerful clubs. Ronald Koeman fed that idea at a press conference and from there the Blaugrana became a team with little faith in their possibilities. At the Allianz Arena Xavi’s men started the game well but at the slightest setback everything fell apart again.

If things don’t work out in attack, it’s not like everything’s going smoothly in defense. Barça showed in Da Luz and in the two games against Bayern that the culé behind is too fragile in important games. Between those three meetings, the Blaugranas received nine goals, a slab that ended up burying their chances of being in the round of 16 and that they must correct as soon as possible if they want to compete for titles this season.