How Barcelona and Lionel Messi can hit reset button after Champions League disaster

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The last time Barcelona conceded eight goals in one match, World War II had just ended. You have to go way back to 1946 to find a night that would even come close to being as embarrassing as what took place in Lisbon on Friday. Bayern Munich didn’t just dominate Barca by a scoreline of 8-2, they humiliated a team that was outclassed, outcoached and outperformed for 90 minutes, producing the most shocking scoreline in Barca’s rich history. 

Here’s a closer look at Barca’s disastrous Champions League exit.

Over before it started

Outside of the ridiculous scoreline, this one felt over from the beginning. Whether it was some tired legs on the Barca side, the lack of sharpness in attack or Gerard Pique getting spun in circles, Barca didn’t stand a chance. It all starts with highers-ups, who decided to bring on a coach in Quique Setien. Setien has no identity and had no business even getting the job — one he lost just moments after the final whistle. He clearly couldn’t motivate his team when it mattered most and brought as much passion to the touchline as a sleepy Gareth Bale. Let’s be realistic — he seems like a nice gentleman but has never won anything as a manager in his professional career. He was never going to be the person to return Barca to glory.

On the pitch

But on the pitch, there is barely anything to be excited about. Lionel Messi can’t do it all. The team whiffs on more transfer targets than any other in the world and there is a confidence level of zero from the outside. Surely the teams knows the potential is there, but they haven’t shown it in over a year. 

With several starters on the wrong side of 30, this feels like rock bottom and/or the tipping point for a club dying to reach the summit of the continent once again. While Marc-Andre Ter Stegen did concede eight goals, his horrid defense is to blame. Barca faced 26 shots on the night, 13 of which went on frame. 

The attack produced only seven total shots, the passing wasn’t sharp and way too many chances went right at Manuel Neuer. While the coach got it wrong, the players just didn’t respond to an early goal and looked helpless for nearly every minute on the pitch.

What’s next?

It’s more than just Barca failing to win a trophy during a season for the first time in over a decade, it’s about what comes next. There will be turnover. Setien is already gone, and a lot of these players will no longer play for the club again. Whether Lionel Messi is in that group remains to be seen, though he is under contract for next season. But would he really be willing to come back to the club after such a heartbreaking display? Chances are yes, but under conditions that things change immediately. 

 “I’m in pain,” Pique said after the match. “We all are. We can’t compete like that. It’s very, very tough to take. Nothing more is worth saying. The club needs changes. Not just the players, I don’t want to point out anyone.”

Barca has elections coming next summer that could shift the club’s mentality into the future, but at the moment it can’t get much worse. Better players are needed, especially defensively, and a tactician that can extract the best out of these players, especially along the backline, must be the choice for manager.

The next several weeks will greatly determine which direction Barcelona goes, and next summer’s elections even more so. Will it take a return of Xavi to get this team to the top again? There’s a lot of work to do and a little luck needed for this team to once again truly contend in UCL. For now, it’s all about trying to find some sort of stability. 

The club’s famous motto is “Més que un club,” which is Catalan for “more than a club.” At the moment, they hardly resemble one.