Barcelona's Clásico preparations thrown into chaos after Champions League disappointment
Barcelona's Clásico preparations thrown into chaos after Champions League disappointment
Barcelona are top of La Liga and head to face off against Real Madrid on Sunday, but Xavi and his squad are under a lot of pressure
"Together we saved the club," Barcelona president Joan Laporta proudly declared at the club's general assembly last Sunday. But how long?
Barça's bank balance is back in the limelight. His dramatic 3-3 draw against Inter on Wednesday proved that. "Mistakes are very expensive in the Champions League," admitted Xavi after a dismal defensive performance. But especially for a club in such a precarious financial position.
Barça may top La Liga ahead of Sunday's Clásico, but it's the Champions League where the real money will be made, and now the cash-strapped Catalans miss out on a lucrative round of 16 for the second season in a row. in danger..
This is very problematic for Barça, who hoped to reach the quarter-finals this season and earn at least €20.2m (£17.5m). Indeed, Barca's hopes of reaching the last 16 are not over yet, at least mathematically. Only three points behind Inter, he has two games left.
However, the Italian now looks to have surpassed the head-to-head record. That means they only need to beat Group C leaders Viktoria Pilsen at home on Matchday 5 to advance.
The economic consequences of a premature withdrawal from the European elite will therefore occupy Xavi and his players for almost two weeks.
Sergio Busquets has openly admitted that Wednesday's result casts a shadow over even the Clásico. "It's clear that this can affect us," he admitted. "We have to stand up."
Barça, of course, take heart from the fact that Gerard Pique promptly announced that they went to Madrid last season to beat the runaway La Liga leaders 4-0:
"We are back."
Indeed, since Xavi took over from Ronald Koeman last year, Barça have become more and more like the old one.
Xavi's domestic results are near-perfect - Barça have scored 22 of their 24 points so far in La Liga, conceding just one.
Of course, there were extenuating circumstances. Barca played well in his 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in his 2-0 defeat, but an injury in the international game took a toll on his defense. They were also in the wrong direction for two terrible VAR decisions in his 1–0 loss at San Siro.
However, Inter themselves were in serious danger ahead of their doubles match against Barça after losing four of their first eight games in Serie A. Simone's future for Inzaghi It was questionable, but is admired immeasurably in Italy after tactically beating Xavi with his know-how. Indeed, Inter had the upper hand as Robert Lewandowski's deflected shot set off a hard-fought final. Still, the guests should have won, but Kristjan Asllani missed an incredible chance in the final seconds as he made it 4:3.
That's why Marc-Andre Ter Stegen saved Barça, as he did in his 1-0 win over Celta Vigo last weekend, a very lucky match.
Given their sudden defensive concerns, it wouldn't be surprising to hear that a proper Jules Kunde would soon be back in the starting line-up should Madrid's match be given the green light. With Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo and Héctor Bellerin currently absent, the versatile Frenchman will be missed. Of course, Khunde was one of the players Barça had to sign in the summer. Barca raised €867m (£750m/$850m) by pulling an economic 'lever' (selling club assets), but Barca still wanted to join the LFP. I had to provide a 'personal guarantee' of €10m (£8.6m)/$9.8m. The former Sevilla man has been registered - a glimpse into the club's financial situation.
Laporta defended his rescue plan again last Sunday, arguing that desperate times call for desperate measures. Extraordinary measures at extraordinary times that require courage and audacity to
But after spending around €160m (roughly £138m) in transfer fees, he admitted that this season "must lay the groundwork for a return to a leadership role in football". .
Beating Madrid at the Bernabéu to clinch the La Liga title would certainly help in that regard. But whatever happens on Sunday night, the threat of Champions League exit will remain looming across the club.
This is the strange, high-pressure environment that Xavi and his players are currently facing, where losing has a double meaning and almost every mistake is costly.
Was it really worth pulling all these levers?
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