Back to where Barcelona are now: Europa League
Back to where Barcelona are now: Europa League
This season was supposed to be different, but Barcelona once again suffered a humiliating and costly elimination in the group stages of the Champions League.
Xavi had the Barcelona players watch Inter's match against Viktoria his Pilsen ahead of Bayern's Champions League match against Munich at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night. . It must have been painful to watch.
Of course, Inter's predictably easy 4-0 victory at San Siro means that Barcelona are out of the Champions League and back in Europe, so the players will never again have such an unpleasant experience. I hope you do your best not to get into a position. league.
For the second year in a row, his five-time European Cup-winning team was effectively relegated to his second division league on the continent.
Xavi claims this season's Champions League has been 'brutal' for him.
He was 'upset' by Barça's defeat to Bayern on the second day. 'We dominated them.'
Meanwhile, Joao Laporta said it was 'scandalous' to take the lead in a game he lost 1-0 to Inter at San Siro and it was a close game. felt horribly inconsistent with his two handball goals, which effectively decided the
However, Barça cannot complain about his second consecutive group elimination at the stage.
In fact, they didn't deserve one point as their hopes of advancing to Round 5 were slim.
Inter dominated the second half of his 3-3 draw at Nou at the Camp and were looking for a famous victory, but Roberto Lewandowski's goal in his was a chaotic finish.
Still, Simone Inzaghi's side missed a chance to win, securing a place in the last 16 with two rounds to go.
But it was only a reprieve, and Sergio Busquets and company knew it.
In fact, the captain's main concern is how his devastating league blow in the Champions League will affect his teammates, just four days before the important Clásico. was.
Barcelona lost 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, putting pressure on Xavi as Real Madrid reclaimed top spot in La Liga.
"I don't blame the players," he said. "I'm responsible. It's my fault, certain mistakes..."
His loyalty to Busquets was certainly in question as Barca have a more dynamic squad with Frenkie de Jong at midfield base. Greatly improved. The loss at Madrid is their only textbook blemish in La Liga, conceding just four goals in total. is particularly impressive given the
However, it is a persistent concern that Xaviz Barcelona will struggle to deliver results against the big guys in games that really matter, especially on the continent.
Xavi's Champions League record so far is: 1 win (against Viktoria Pilsen); 2 draws, 4 losses.
Still trying to come to terms with the turmoil caused by Josep Maria Bartomeu's disastrous presidency, such a disappointing result could have been unforgivable when he was just settling down at the club last season.
Summer spending of €160m (£138m / $156m) allowed Laporta to use future profits to fund its success today. rice field.
And, ominously for Xavi, the president had already said that after signing Robert Lewandowski, Rafinha and Jules Kunde he "didn't expect this situation [in Europe] at all". Admit it.
In fact, Laporta firmly believes he has assembled a squad that can challenge any team in Europe, but Barça will be eliminated from the Champions League before Christmas.
He claims nothing. Even with the prize money included in the budget for the year, Barça have to worry from a financial point of view, even though they were literally betting on reaching the quarterfinals.
"It's a big blow to miss the final stage, but we won't miss €25-35 million," Laporta told the club's internal TV channel.
"There are ways to balance it. We will continue to work on new sponsorships and other opportunities and playing in the Europa League will still bring in money.
"He is not playing in the Champions League
Failure to reach the top four in La Liga would therefore be the real catalyst for Barça's financial collapse.
Indeed, After a 4-0 victory over Athletic Club last weekend, Xavi had to defend his top-flight quality in Spain. Nevertheless, such an easy victory is a blessing for him at the moment. Xavi knows that despite the progress he has made so far with a team of exciting youngsters, he will have to win big trophies easily this season. Given the amount of summer spending.
If Xavi had been promised time and patience and allowed to work with the stars he might already have, an expensive contract that would have had to be a quick success. I wonder how different the vibe of his nou would have been now, instead of being haunted by..
"With the effort of the club and the team we have, we have to fight for the trophy.
"If we don't win, as the President said, the results start with me. A coach will come.”
There is no indication yet that LaPorta has hired a potential replacement.
Although personally outraged by Barça's performance against Inter at the Camp Nou, he has repeatedly publicly insisted that Xavi remains in full support.
Champions Now that the league is over, Laporta, Xavi and even Barcelona cannot finish the season without a title.
Indeed, Laporta admits that additional transfers are possible during the January transfer window, and more economic 'levers' can be quickly pulled to strengthen the squad.
It may seem unwise for him to double this offer to get out of trouble. After all, Laporta has already taken big risks, but after being eliminated in his league by the Champions, he clearly feels he needs to raise his stakes.
Simply put,
Barcelona must have sporting, financial and financial success this season.
The strength of their brand is key to the health of their bank's balance sheet, and for too long Barça have been synonymous with heavy losses on and off the pitch.
Laporta has repeatedly claimed that 'Barcelona are back', but it is clear that there is still a long way to go.
Lionel In his Messi prime, elimination from the group stage would have been unthinkable. Now, with Barça's precarious situation threatening to become a regular, Laporta continues to push strongly for the Super League to ensure financial stability. Because the field certainly offers no guarantees.
Leaving the Champions League last season was clearly not luck. Barcelona have lost the top spot in the European rankings and are far from regaining it.
They are back in the Europa League. As a team, as a club, we are now in the Europa League.
It may be unacceptable for the fans, but as Xavi himself said, "We didn't deserve to play in the Champions League. It hurts me, but it's the truth."
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