“I don’t think it’s a pleasant way” – Julian Nagelsmann blames “mountain of debt” as opponents Barcelona crash out of Champions League
Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann has attributed Barcelona's struggles this season, especially in the UEFA Champions League, to their "mountain of debt."
Nagelsmann's side blanked the Blaugrana 3-0 at the Allianz Arena last night thanks to goals from Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala. The result meant Bayern completed their Champions League group stage campaign with six wins from as many games.
Barcelona, on the other hand, crashed out of Europe's premier competition in the group stages for the first time in 20 years. The loss in Germany, combined with Benfica's 2-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv, meant the Catalans will now compete in the UEFA Europa League this season.
4 - Barcelona has been knocked out from a Champions League group stage for the fourth time ever, the first one since 2000/01 when they played the UEFA Cup. New. https://t.co/EkU4ckbjrv
Barcelona's meek exit from the Champions League also displayed the gulf in class and quality between themselves and other European heavyweights. They scored just two goals in six group stage matches while conceding nine.
Nagelsmann believes a major reason for the Blaugrana's struggles is their financial situation. Speaking to DAZN after last night's game, the Bayern boss said (as quoted by Bavarian Football Works):
“I believe this immense mountain of debt simply hovers over the club. They may not be able to do what Barcelona typically does on the transfer market. When you just have 1.5 billion in debt — I don’t think it’s a pleasant way to go through life.”
Xavi Hernandez's side also lost club legend Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. They are unlikely to have the funds to make too many transfers in the next two transfer windows and are set to undergo a period of transition.
Currently seventh in La Liga, Barcelona could face more defeats akin to their 3-0 Champions League reverse against Bayern in the near future.
Barcelona's Champions League exit likely to have impacts on and off the pitch
The moment Barcelona went 1-0 down against Bayern on Matchday 6 of the Champions League, they seemed to know they were dependent on other results. But those didn't go their way either as Benfica picked up a comfortable home win to make it to the knockouts at the Blaugrana's expense.
A third-place finish and demotion to the Europa League is a blunt but much-needed reality check for the club and their fans. Barcelona are no longer the club they used to be, on and off the pitch, and that will remain the case for a while longer. Joan Laporta and Xavi's arrivals at the club have brought in some optimism, but the change will take time to bear fruit.
Winning the Europa League is probably the only way Barcelona will qualify for the Champions League next season.
At the moment, their Champions League exit will have massive repercussions. Xavi's ideas are still yet to fully translate into convincing results on the pitch and their recent results will attract scrutiny. Off the pitch, Barcelona have lost out on some much-needed income they would have received by qualifying for the knockouts.
It remains to be seen how the Catalan giants build themselves back up from these adversitites.