It has been nearly a decade since Barcelona once dominated Europe. The name was enough to scare even the biggest teams in the world. Such was the menace that Barcelona could cause. But times have changed now. From dismantling teams in Europe, Barcelona now are losing all their big games. The team recently suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Clasico. The performance drew criticism as the team looked clueless and Real Madrid made lightwork of them The month of October has been really poor for Barcelona as they have lost out on all the big games. When it mattered, the team failed to step up and thus the consequences are there.
They have been extremely poor in the Champions League as well. The Catalans were on the verge of playing Europa League football once again this season before they faced Bayern Munich. It feels so harsh given the squad they have got this season. Lewandowski has been nothing but sensational for them. But the Polish have not had much support which has made the team over-dependent on him. He has fired in 14 goals already this season. But Xavi has frustration over the results and the performances the team is putting in despite being second in La Liga.
They have exited the Champions League this season as Bayern Munich were comfortable winners at Camp Nou. The Germans ran over the Spanish team as they Dismantled them 3-0. Once again, it is now Xavi against the world. It is the 5th time this season that he has lost a big game. Lewandowski had no chance against his former club again as he was well-defended by De ligt and Upamecano. It seems that Xavi’s tactics are working in the league but not in Europe. Now they will be playing Europa League football for the 2nd season in a row. It is a shame that they have failed again to deliver with the squad they have got.
Quique Setien talks about Barcelona
One of the toughest times Barcelona suffered in recent times was under the managerial actions of Quique Setien. The former Real Betis man joined in 2020 as Ernesto Valverde was sacked by the then-board. But Setien had a very poor record and was also sacked after Barcelona’s 8-2 humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich.
On his time at Barca, Setien said:
“Barca was the team I had the dream of coaching, but if you see there are things you can’t change, you should leave. But it is an opportunity you have dreamed of forever. And arriving through one door and leaving through another the next month was a difficult moment. If there are things that don’t fit, you should not be a hypocrite and you should go.”
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