Wednesday evening was highly unpleasant in the Champions League for the players and fans of FC Barcelona. Xavi’s team could not stand up to the lightning force of Bayern Munich, who crushed them 3-0. The Spanish media hammered Blaugrana’s performance.

Source: bdnews24

 

The Catalan Pride had already been aware before the ball’s first touch that they had no chance of making it out of the group – due to the result of the Inter Milan – Victoria Plzen (4:0). 

FC Barcelona fans were hoping Robert Lewandowski would lead the club to victory over Bayern Munich. He was supposed to be the biggest asset for the FC Barcelona side, but this time he did not make a difference on the pitch. The Pole was invisible for most of the game and had no impact on the events.

Bayern Munich effectively cut off the Pole’s passes to his teammates. The Polish national team captain marked his presence only once during the penalty kick situation, which the referee ultimately cancelled.  

 

Spanish media disappointed with Lewy’s performance

Spanish journalists who expected a much better disposition from him were frustrated by the attitude of the 34-year-old. They pointed out that the Bayern Munich Barcelona was not his match this time and awarded him very low marks for his play. 

• “Invisible. The Pole couldn’t find his rhythm and felt powerless against his previous team. He didn’t have a single clear chance throughout the game,” – said the ‘Sports’ journalists.
• “He hadn’t had the ball until the controversial penalty action, which the referee cancelled. Wasn’t he homesick?” – wrote Mundo Deportivo.

 

Madrid’s ‘Marca’ journalists were even blunter about the striker’s attitude. In their opinion, almost all of his actions were unsuccessful. 

• “Lewandowski tried to launch a counter-attack after Bayern’s goal, but without success. He struck from a free kick but hit the wall. A penalty was dictated on him, but the referee corrected the decision. Lewy did not stand out,” – it was written.

 

Lack of motivation – the main accusation against Barcelona UEFA Champions League

Barca was helpless against the Bavarians. Bayern Munich ruled the field without letting Blaugrana fire a single shot at their goal. Julian Nagelsmann’s boys played with passion and the right mentality. 

After the game, Pedri, substituted as early as the 58th minute of the Barcelona Bayern Munich match, decided to give an interview to the media from the Catalan Pride’s camp. According to the young Spaniard from Barcelona Inter Milan match results had a serious effect on their motivation.

Source: Barca Universal

• “It was a complicated encounter. We already knew the result of Inter’s match against Viktoria Plzen, and we didn’t come out with the same motivation, but we wanted to give a win to the fans,” – said the midfielder.

 

•  “I think we can still achieve something this season. We only have a three-point loss to Real Madrid despite the defeat at the Bernabeu. There are still a lot of games left in the league, and we have to thank the fans for being with us,” – he added. 

 

Xavi aware of Bayern’s superiority at Cam Nou

As in the previous game, the Catalans were once again humiliated by Bayern Munich. They did not even fire a single shot on goal while the Bavarians easily entertained Camp Nou. 

Xavi was frustrated with the course of the game. He admitted at a press conference that Bayern was a much better side. He also said that being eliminated from the Champions League before the kick-off had affected FC Barcelona’s attitude. 

 

• “We tried our best not to make it happen, but we were heavily affected by the elimination from the Champions League. Bayern was better than us. They played at a higher intensity. I feel we didn’t compete well for the first time this season. As I said, these tournament is cruel to us. I feel we are out of the Champions League because of our own mistakes,” – he stated.

 

However, the Spaniard is trying not to lose his faith in the team and is aware that the Blaugrana can still compete for many trophies this season. 

 

• “We can still play a great season, and I am convinced we can do it. It’s October, and we’ve only lost one competition so far – a very important one, though, because it’s the Champions League. But we’re moving on to the Europa League, where we can fight and win. We can win the league, the King’s Cup and the Spanish Super Cup,” – he added.

 

Laporta focuses on La Liga

 

The defeat of Barcelona was followed closely by the club’s president Joan Laporta, who admitted that he is not losing faith in the development of Xavi’s team.

• “We watched the Inter game, and it was torture. You dream of a miracle happening, but it didn’t happen. We still have faith. We still have the desire for this team to grow. The league games are also very important, and we are in the top positions. I think this is an optimistic message for all Barcelona fans,” – said the Camp Nou-based club president.
• “All we can say now is that we are looking ahead. We knew that this reconstruction process would involve ups and downs. However, we cannot stop. We are left with La Liga and other competitions. In the remaining games, we have to show that this team is growing day by day,” – stated Joan Laporta.

 

The last round of the UEFA Champions League group stage

 

On November 1st, Blaugrana will face Viktoria Plzen – in an away game, and Bayern Munich will meet Inter Milan at home.

The situation in Group C looks as follows: 

Group C table

 

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
1. Bayern Munich – Q	15	5	5	0	0	16	2	+14
2. Inter Milan – Q	10	5	3	1	1	10	5	+5
3. Barcelona – UEL	4	5	1	3	1	8	10	-2
4. Viktoria Plzen – E	0	5	0	5	0	3	20	-17

• Q = qualified to the Round of 16
• UEL = Europa League knockout playoffs
• E = eliminated

 

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Rafa