Skip to main content

After their 'saddest night', does Barcelona's humbling at the hands



The morning after the nightmare before, and Barcelona was waking up to the stark realisation that they were no longer the best in Europe.

The headlines staring back from the newsstands dashed faint hopes that their evisceration at the hands of Bayern was just a bad dream.

'Paliza Historica' screamed Marca, acknowledging that the 4-0 defeat in Bavaria was, indeed, historic, and not in a good way. The cover picture of Lionel Messi, stood hands on hips and puffing out his cheeks - utterly helpless - was a powerful illustration of the significance of the night.


Scroll down for video




Is this the end? Glum faces all round as Barcelona are thrashed 4-0 by Bayern Munich in the semi-final, first leg of the Champions League in Bavaria last night






Historic: Marca said all of Barcelona's weaknesses had been exposed at the same time in the heavy defeat


The End: AS went further, suggesting there was a changing of the guard in European football



'Nightmare': A stark headline on the front cover of Mundo Deportivo

AS went further - 'Fin de Ciclo' was their headline - suggesting that this era of dominance is drawing to its end. Underneath, it said that all Barcelona's weaknesses had been brutally exposed all at the same time.

Diario Sport took a more sombre tone: 'La Noche Mas Triste' - 'The Saddest Night' - reflecting succinctly the feelings of the millions of Barcelona admirers all over the world.

The general mood was that this was one of those defining results - the kind that come along every five years or so - that marks a transition, decline for one, ascension for another, a changing of the guard.

It makes sense - Barcelona have been playing their heavenly football for about six or seven years now, they've taken the game onto another level, winning three European Cups and becoming a regular fixture in the last four.

But we all knew it had to come to an end eventually - the question is whether that decline is happening right now and whether it is terminal.

After all, a win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday night will wrest the La Liga title back from Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid, their fourth league crown in five seasons.

You don't need to be reminded their team contains Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and the rest.

They haven't suddenly become bad players because they've struggled to win a couple of Champions League matches, although many of them were culpable last night of not doing enough.




Sub-standard: The defeat was Barcelona's worst in the recent past, as Bayern outplayed them from start to finish, scoring four times past goalkeeper Victor Valdes

The French newspaper, L'Equipe, savaged Messi in their review, giving him 3/10 and describing his largely anonymous contribution as his worst match in ages.

Incapable of acceleration or inspiration, and clearly short of match fitness, he ran just 7.5km, less than everyone else in his team, and touched the ball only 72 times all night, including just two in the Bayern box - again considerably less than normal.

As might be expected, Barcelona enjoyed more of the ball - 65.7 per cent - but seldom has there been such limited attacking menace. Xavi, always the outlet for the team, did little of note, likewise Busquets.

Defensively, they struggled to contain Bayern's threat in the air and physically in challenges and contests for the ball.



Alarming: Barcelona's weakness in the air was a major contributory factor in the defeat - here, Arjen Robben outjumps Alexis Sanchez to win the ball





Air raid: Forward Mario Gomez puts Valdes under pressure

But this does not make them poor players all of a sudden, nor does it make Barcelona a bad team.

It was the scoreline and the manner of the victory that makes this feel like the end of an era. It was the fact that for the first time in a decade or more, Barcelona were thoroughly humbled. When knocked out in recent years, most notably against Chelsea at this stage last season, they invariably dominated the tie and a single goal settled it.


La Liga has been a weak league this season, Barcelona almost winning by default after Real effectively threw in the towel early on.

So domestic matches almost became a distraction between those all-important Champions League ties that allowed Bayern to test themselves by the standards they have set themselves of late. Now they have been usurped.



Simply the best: Bayern Munich are, in the eyes of many, indisputably the best team in Europe at the moment

It's not as though this Bayern side have sprung up overnight - they've reached two of the last three Champions League finals and should by rights have won last year against Chelsea - but with this result they have announced themselves.

Already better than Barcelona, they are demonstrating a ruthless ambition to translate one outstanding season - in which the Treble is a very real possibility - into a sustained period of dominance.

Pep Guardiola is on his way in the summer, but you wonder how even he can improve on Jupp Heynckes's free-wheeling, free-scoring side. They've scored 55 times in their last nine games. How do you make the best even better?




Hard act to follow: Jupp Heynckes will be replaced by Pep Guardiola (below) at Bayern in the summer and is likely to leave as a Treble-winning manager



Even before last night's exhibition, Bayern fans were cheered by the news that Borussia Dortmund star Mario Gotze is coming too. Talk about looting your biggest rivals, what a coup that is.

For Barcelona, it was the 'saddest night' because they were so brilliantly outplayed by the new force in European football, but it isn't necessarily the end of their glorious era.

WHAT NEXT FOR JUPP HEYNCKES?

It was all agreed - Jupp Heynckes would slip quietly away into retirement, having guided Bayern Munich to a Bundesliga, Pokal and Champions League Treble, and Pep Guardiola would come in to replace him and take the club to the next level.

But it seems the 67-year-old veteran isn't quite done yet.

So enraptured by the free-flowing, free-scoring Bayern team he has created this season, Heynckes announced a surprise U-turn a couple of weeks ago, suggesting he might delay retirement a little longer.



Extra time? Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes may decide to extend his managerial career

'I have a right to think carefully about my future and what I should do next,' he said. 'If a new Pope can be elected at 76 years old, then why shouldn't I work as a football coach at 68?'

His change of heart has, inevitably, alerted the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City. Schalke were another interested party, but it is understood Heynckes would regard another Bundesliga club as a step down from Bayern. Whatever he decides to do next, Heynckes will leave Bayern in rude health.

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o