With Internal Debate Raging, How Have FC Barcelona Performed In Champions League Thus Far?

Just as in La Liga, it has taken FC Barcelona a while to reach the top of their group in the Champions League. Now they they are there, though, how has the team been performing in Europe's premier club competition?

The journey began at the Westfalenstadion at the end of September, where were it not for a penalty save and other heroics from Ter Stegen, the Blaugrana could have been soundly beaten by Borussia Dortmund.

As things ended Ernesto Valverde's men came out with a point, yet it was in their following fixture in Spain that 'crisis' mode snuck in when a 2-0 defeat against Granada prompted a change of approach on every front.

A fortnight later when they hosted Inter Milan, a two game win streak aided by a first away victory since April at Getafe looked to have been snuffed out when former transfer target Lautaro Martinez ran wild at the Camp Nou.

Putting the then-unbeaten, then-Serie A leaders ahead after two minutes, Lionel Messi's Argentina teammate almost made it two when Ter Stegen came to rescue before the interval and then Messi himself.

Providing the assist for Luis Suarez on a surprise starting debut return from injury for 2019/2020, Messi and his team, buoyed by impact substitutions from Arturo Vidal and Ousmane Dembélé, exhibited the type of grit and comeback determination required to win the tournament when the chips are down.

On Wednesday then, it was expected that Suarez, in fine from with five in four across all competitions, would finally break his away hex that has not seen him score on the road on the continent since 2015. That did not come to pass, and while Barça did pick up the win over Slavia Prague with a Suarez-influenced own goal, the 1-2 victory was unconvincing to some and has, according to Mundo Deportivo sparked internal debate within the dressing room.

Ter Stegen's post-match comments before heaing down the tunnel predicted could have predicted such developments. FCB made their brightest start to a match this season, busting out of the track's with Messi's third minute opener and then pushing for a second, yet overall, as the German shotstopper fumed, they then went on failing to match Slavia Prague's pressure while also lacking speed and losing possession on numerous occasions.

Providing the assist early on, Arthur in particular couldn't deal with the host's press while Griezmann faded and a better team may have, as Inter Milan also did, punished them severely on the counter attack.

In the days following the win, the Catalan and Spanish press has of course gone into deep analysis mode, with both MD and MARCA revealing that Barcelona have been outrun by their opposition by several miles on each outing and also ran the least across the 32 sides vying for the crown in round three.

Elsewhere, the 34 shots Ter Stegen has faced - many on target and from close range - is the most in Valverde's reign to date while they have only made 21 themselves.

Despite this, FCB have one foot in the knockout stages and can, with a win over the Czechs in the return fixture at the Camp Nou next month, maintain a lead of at least three points over Dortmund and Inter depending on how the clash between the two turns out.

They then have to face each team, at home and away respectively, and have three more opportunities to rectify their shortcomings before inevitable failure at crunch time that could cost Ernesto Valverde his job if urgent issues are not addressed.