Even before the kick-off of the match against Bayern Munich, it was known that Barcelona would greet the Champions League already in the group stage. There was a profound disappointment at the Camp Nou. Nobody expected the Blaugrana to greet Europe’s most important competition so quickly. In planning the budget for next season, the management of the club of the Catalan capital has assumed the match at least until the quarter-finals of the Champions League. On Saturday night, Barcelona will want to do what they are used to this season. After losing in a key match, she will likely score some league goals, once again believing she is back to her highest level.
Thursday’s nightmare returns
For the second time in its history (previously in the 1997/1998 and 1998/1999 seasons) Barcelona ends their Champions League adventure in the group stage. Spanish media indicate that Bayern have once again shown how much they separate the Blaugrana from the top teams in Europe. In the match against the German champion, Barcelona assumed the role of Athletic Bilbao from the previous championship round at Camp Nou. It can be said with a high degree of probability that if the Bavarians needed a few more goals to advance, they would have scored without problems on Wednesday night.
Mateu Alemany, managing director of FC Barcelona, was of a different opinion. – In Monaco it was already clear that we could compete, we were better for 60 minutes, and this defeat and what happened in Milan determined the further development of the events in our group. There are so many games to go and our goal is to try to win the top titles. The team has shown that they can compete with the best. From the match against Inter we already knew how things were going. In the Champions League everything went the other way around. We spent a lot of time analyzing and we know what happened – he assured him.
The Europa League match in the spring, apart from the loss of image, means a lot of financial losses for Barcelona. The budget of the Catalan Duma presupposed a bonus from UEFA for having reached at least the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Today we know that the losses on this account will amount to around 20 million euros. Barcelona will probably “earn” some of this money in second-class European competition, but even if they win this trophy, they will not be able to compensate for the gains they have planned.
Image losses are an additional problem. Sponsors, such as Spotify, were hoping to exhibit their brand in the most important European showrooms by paying large sums of money. In the absence of an adequate sporting record, Barcelona have become a dubious investment partner for external funding. Investments that will be needed in July to register new players. So you can expect more levers and creative accounting.
A team with two faces
During Xavi’s tenure, FC Barcelona are a team of extremes. In league matches, Blaugran is able to dominate his rivals, give them many goals and present an attractive football to the eye. Problems arise when Robert Lewandowski and his colleagues face the most important matches of the season. During the tenure of his current coach, Barca has only won 3 games out of 13. Furthermore, in the last three seasons, the Catalan Duma in his stadium has only won the Champions League four times. Only companies such as Dynamo Kyiv (twice), Viktoria Pilzno and Ferencvaros were sent to Camp Nou. This list looks very pale for a team that is about to triumph in the European arena.
– Unfortunately, the miracle we needed didn’t happen. We still have LaLiga, we have different games. We knew there would be ups and downs in the rebuilding process. We have shown that this team is growing day by day. – cheered Joan Laporta fans. In turn, Xavi ensured that his team was still in play for the remaining trophies. – From the final whistle of the match against Bayern we go to work. Now we have to think about La Liga. We have to unite, face the situation. The elimination of the Champions League hurts us a lot, but the season doesn’t end in October. There are still few games to win – assured the Barcelona coach.
In the match against Valencia, we will probably see Barcelona dominate. A Barcelona that pleases the eye and its fans are counting down the next goals. At the back of my mind, however, the question is which version of Xavi’s band is real. The one that breaks the Villarreal Cup player or one of the biggest positive surprises of the Primera Division Athletic Bilbao? Or is it a team that can’t stand up to teams that want to compete for the higher goals? The answer to this question should come before the World Cup in Qatar. For now it is certain that Robert Lewandowski has adapted to this sinusoidal attitude of the team.
The helplessness continues in the most important games
Marca notes that the captain of the Polish national team has not given enough arguments in the form of numbers to keep Barcelona in the Champions League. The Spanish media condemn Lewandowski for having “disappeared” in the most important moments. In both games against Bayern, El Clasico and away against Inter, Robert was a foreign body in his team. The picture could cloud two goals in the final minutes against the Italian runner-up at the Camp Nou.
Mateu Alemany, mentioned earlier, took the defense of the Pole. – Lewandowski has already shown, not only on a football level, that he is an exceptional player. Each match is unique to him and is no different when he wears the Barcelona shirt. It doesn’t matter who is facing the opposite – concluded the director of the blaugrana.
A striker who has scored twelve league goals in eleven games and five Champions League goals in the same number of games should be more than expected. Lewandowski himself certainly expected a lot more from himself and the team. The captain of the Polish national team has not been eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League since his first participation in this competition, when in the 2011/2012 season he defended the colors of Borussia Dortmund. Lewandowski left the Allianz Arena to win titles not only in Poland but also in Europe. He thought the path to the Ballon d’Or from Barcelona was shorter than from Monaco. He who knows if this time he was not wrong.
