Robert Lewandowski did not have the best of games against their former club Bayern Munich. The Polish striker returned to the Allianz arena for the biggest UCL group stage game between the 2 giants of the game. It was always going to be an intense and end-to-end game with Bayern as the favorites. The Bavarians had defeated Barcelona in all their previous meetings in the last 7-8 years. But with Barcelona strengthening in the summer to such a great extent, they had a chance. It was more than a chance as the Catalans ran over the Bayern team in the first half.
The only thing missing was the goals as the performance was absolutely typical Barcelona football. They dominated from the start but could not get the ball into the net. Pedri had more than 3 chances but drew saves from Manuel Neuer and also hit the post. Raphinha also came close to scoring twice with his shots just firing wide. But it was Lewandowski’s performance that raised eyebrows. The former Bayern man had 3-4 chances to get his side ahead on the night but could not take any. It was an off-par Lewy performance with maybe the nerves kicking in.
But it was a performance that meant far better things for Barcelona. With a young team and a project led by Xavi, Good times are coming soon for the club. It is a big thing to say that they dominated a team like Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena with so much young talent on the pitch. Pedri was outstanding and so was midfield sensation Gavi. But Barcelona still needs to work on their efficiency if they are to compete with European monsters again. It is a long process but fans have full faith in Xavi as the orchestrator.
Xavi criticizes and praises Barcelona against Bayern
Coach Xavi was clearly frustrated with the result against Bayern. But it takes nothing away from a performance of superlatives in the first half. The coach gave his views on the game that his team played.
“I think we were better in many ways, we matched them physically, we dominated the ball. But you can’t let them off that much. The feeling is that you dominate, but you lose. Learning is hard, I’m angry. Angry and proud too. We were better, but this is about winning. They are already built as a team and we’re in the process. We have to improve.”
Despite Barcelona losing 2-0 to Bayern, the scoreline did not reflect the true story of the match. Xavi, despite the loss was optimistic about the future of the club.
“The result is bad. The process is very good. You have to minimise errors. We failed a lot, there was a lack of effectiveness. The game was very good, but I’m upset, it was an opportunity to win in this place once and for all.”
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