Prior to the start of the Catalans’ match at Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona’s destiny was determined by Inter Milan’s rout of Viktoria Plzen in the early kickoff.
As a result of the Nerrazzuri’s victory, Bayern Munich had locked up a top-four position, while the Blaugranas were scheduled to play in the Europa League. Thus, the outcome in Catalonia was not particularly significant.
Still, one anticipated that Xavi’s team would play with honor and aim to make up with the Bavarians that evening. But what happened next was a series of unfortunate circumstances.
The night’s lineup for Xavi was dreadfully poorly planned. The manager used a back four of Hector Bellerin, Jules Kounde, Marcos Alonso, and Alex Balde against one of the top teams in Europe.
He substituted Franck Kessie for Gavi in the midfield, and Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, and Sergio Busquets made up the rest of the group. The starting lineup was completed by Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski.
Barcelona’s car appeared to have a loose tire as soon as the starting whistle blew. The lack of energy and seeming lack of motivation among the Azulgranas were also noticeable.
Ten minutes into the game, Sadio Mane gave the visitors the lead. The goal was the result of an immediate counterattack in which Serge Gnabry connected with Mane inside the Catalan box.
Ter Stegen bravely charged the forward, but the ex-Liverpool player held his composure and expertly lofted the ball into the goal.
Despite being down a goal, Barcelona’s game lacked urgency. The midfield was absent in part, while the defense remained worrisomely thin. Unsurprisingly, the visitors also scored the game’s second goal.
The Blaugrana defense was breached by Gnabry in the 31st minute, who then found Eric Maxim Chuopo Moting, who required only one touch to finish crisply through ter Stegen’s knees.
Lewandowski was brought down in the box by Matthijs de Ligt in the 44th minute, which marked the next significant development of the half. Although VAR later determined there was no penalty, the Dutchman actually touched the ball first. The referee reversed his ruling right away, sending the hosts back to square one.
In the first few minutes of the second half, Barcelona showed greater intent and produced a couple half-chances. Lewandowski and Busquets, though, were unable to convert their opportunities.
With a beautiful curling shot from the left side, Gnabry made it three for Bayern, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Later, Xavi switched Ferran Torres and Raphinha for Busquets and Pedri.
The manager again made two substitutions just as it appeared that the hosts’ offensive was gathering momentum. Ansu Fati and Eric Garcia were substituted for Dembele and Kounde, respectively, in the 66th minute.
At the 70-minute mark, the home team began to show some potential and attacking purpose, but they lacked the decisiveness to get one back.
The closest was made by Ansu Fati, who made a strong run through the Bavarian defense before missing a shot. Lewy tried to take the initiative but it was too little, too late. Pablo Torre was Xavi’s final substitution of the game. \
Bayern Munich scored a third goal in the last seconds of stoppage time to completely shock the Catalans, adding salt to injury. Serge Gnabry’s errant shot from a corner fell to Benjamin Pavard, who finished it off to make it 3-0.
Barcelona’s dismal track record versus Bayern was maintained, therefore they must now find a way to refocus in order to try to save what is left of their season.
The Blaugranas’ final UCL match is currently against Viktoria Plzen, and then their Europa League season will begin. Without a doubt, this outcome will prompt legitimate concerns about Xavi’s leadership.
