"It shows how far they've fallen" - Barcelona slammed for manner of UCL 'hammering' against Benfica
Former Scotland midfielder Brian Kerr has said that Barcelona's 3-0 Champions League defeat to Benfica is a reflection of how far the Blaugrana have regressed.
The Blaugrana haven't lost in six league games this season, but their form in Europe has been abysmal. After opening their campaign with a 3-0 home defeat against Bayern Munich, the Blaugrana endured an identical defeat at Benfica on Matchday 2.
Across the two games, Barcelona are yet to register a shot on target, marking their worst-ever start to a Champions League campaign.
They've won three and drawn three in the league. In the Champions League, they're way off the level at the moment. They got off lights against Bayern Munich at 3 nothing - and it looks like they were hammered again tonight," Kerr observed.
FT: Benfica 3-0 Barcelona. Another European humiliation. Barça have not won a single Champions League match in 2021. According to UEFA, Barça are yet to register a shot on target in the Champions League this season. https://t.co/kZVjVflymc
"Benfica are a side that have struggled in the Champions League in recent seasons. In fact they were in the Europa League a fair bit in recent seasons, if memory serves me correctly, they haven't been up to that level. For them to be beating Barcelona 3-0 shows you just how far Barcelona have fallen in a fairly short period of time," Kerr continued.
Barcelona put up a sluggish display on their travel to Benfica for their second Champions League game of the season. The Blaugrana conceded an early goal, with Darwin Nunez opening the scoring for the hosts in the third minute.
❌ 0-3 vs Bayern
❌ 3-0 vs Benfica
For the first time in their history, Barcelona have lost their first opening two games of a Champions League campaign. 😳 https://t.co/6eolAcuCTx
Rafa Silva doubled Benfica's lead in the 69th minute before Nunez completed his brace in the 79th to secure a memorable 3-0 victory for the Portuguese outfit. That makes it back-to-back defeats for Barcelona in the Champions League this season.
Barcelona could sack Ronald Koeman in the coming days
The Blaugrana have a mountain to climb to qualify for the next round of the Champions League, as they sit at the bottom of Group E. They've fared slightly better in La Liga, currently occupying sixth spot in the table. But many are already calling for Ronald Koeman to be sacked.
Ronald Koeman could face the sack if he doesn't manage to get Barcelona up and running in the right direction soon. The Dutchman has suffered defeats in both his Champions League games this season, and has picked up just three wins in six La Liga games.
That is unacceptable at a club of Barcelona's stature, so it's expected that the Blaugrana could part ways with their manager shortly. According to reports, Koeman might be dismissed before the upcoming international break.