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The loss to Bayern shows how far Barcelona have fallen.
Barcelona was eliminated from the group stage for the first time since 2000 in Alejandro's opinion. The time has been added.
5:44 PM
The new year will see Barcelona play in the Europa League. The same Barcelona that wanted to form a European Super League earlier this year are no longer good enough to make the knockout rounds of the European Championship. What chance would they have in the Super League?
They were demoted to third place in Group E and will play Thursday night football in the future, after Wednesday's defeat against a Bayern Munich side in second gear. It's the first time since 2003 that they won't be in the last-16 of the European competition.
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People who have been following Barcelona closely in recent years will not be surprised by their demise. They've won the European Championship four times since 2004, when they last competed in the Europa League. Things have deteriorated quickly since last winning it. They've lost by three goals or more to Paris Saint-Germain in four of the last five seasons. Over the past 16 months, they've been beaten by three goals or more three times by the Germans, totting up an aggregate score of 14-2.
If the benchmark in Europe is along with their peers in the Premier League, then Wednesday in an empty Allianz Arena as the snow fell offered the latest glimpse into just how far Barcelona have fallen. The defender said that they are a better-run club and that is why they are superior to Barcelona. He said it was as simple as that.
The gulf between the sides was obvious as Barcelona and Pique were clearly second-best against the Germans.
It's true that previous president Josep Maria Bartomeu ran the club into the ground, with the club's gross debt standing at 1.4 billion, but that simplistic view removes any blame from the players, who were once again shown. It's a cliche, but it really is men against boys when Barcelona player Bayern is playing. The German side are better coached.
Barcelona tried to take the game to the other team early on, but they just weren't good enough. Even against a side that had nothing to play for, having already secured top spot in the group, and missing Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry through injury. Ansu Fati, Pedri, andSergio Aguero are among those who have been injured by Barcelona.
There was only going to be one winner when Thomas Muller opened the scoring in the first half and Ousmane Dembele struck the bar for Barcelona. Sane and Musiala scored in the second half after good work from Alphonso Davies, who was one of Barcelona's chief tormentors in the two seasons that the club has been in the competition.
After the 8-2 loss, Pique said that things hadn't improved since. It's not just the defeats to Bayern anymore, it's also the failure to beat the weaker sides in the competition. In six games this season, Barcelona scored two goals. They scored 22. In all competition, Robert Lewandowski has 27 goals to 25 for Barcelona.
In Europe, Barcelona have lost five of their last nine games and have only won 10 of their last 24. It's difficult to find a positive number. They hope the rebuild can start here because they think the Europa League represents rock bottom. "A new era is starting," was the optimistic view from coach Xavi.
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The return of Laporta as president earlier this year and the appointment of Xavi as a legend have planted the seeds for change, but the game against the Germans was his fifth in charge. He might need five years to get them back in the competition. As the club bank on a mix of nostalgia, veterans and youth to take them back to the top, they brought back a player who was 38 years old. Frenkie de Jong is the only player in the squad who is in their peak years.
There was only going to be one winner after the first goal. Sane added the second as the side pulled away.
Financial restrictions that forced the exits of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann have led to more opportunities for talented youngsters. Pedri and Ansu are two of the best performers this season. They could use the Europa League. By the time the competition starts in February, Xavi will have worked with his team for three months.
Barcelona's best chance of being in the playoffs next season may be in the Europa League. A top-four spot in the Spanish league is not a given after 15 games.
The phrase "it is what it is" was born from the comment made by former coach Ronald Koeman after the Camp Nou defeat to Bayern. There is no better way to describe the situation at the moment.
There have been positives since Xavi took charge, but once again, the work that Barcelona have to do is shown. They can deal with not being in the knockout stages this season, but not being in the competition next year would be a disaster. They may want to put the Super League on the back burner until then.
