"Trust the process" - Barcelona star sends message to fans following Champions League exit
Centre-back Jules Kounde has requested Barcelona fans to trust the process after the club were eliminated from the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.
The Catalan giants' fate was confirmed after Inter Milan beat Viktoria Plzen 4-0 at home on Wednesday (26 October). Barca faced Bayern Munich knowing that even a win against the German giants wouldn't be able to rescue their hopes of qualification.
Barca made use of several economic levers to sign quality players like Robert Lewandowski, Kounde, Raphinha, Franck Kessie, and Andreas Christensen in the summer. There was hope that these signings would be enough to make Barca a genuine contender in Europe once again.
However, the Blaugrana were relegated to the UEFA Europa League before they could play out their matchday five fixture against the Bavarians. With pride being the only thing left to play for, Barcelona still succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou.
Kounde, who cost €50 million in transfer fees this summer, played 67 minutes in the defeat before being taken off for Eric Garcia. After the full-time whistle, the France international posted a tweet asking fans to keep faith in the team.
He wrote:
"Very disappointed with this match and our run in this competition. We were not able to respond to the demands of the Champions League. But there are still many beautiful things to fight for, and we will fight. Thanks Culers for your unfailing support #TrustTheProcess"
Barcelona have four points from their five games in Europe this campaign. They had a golden chance to salvage their Champions League season against Inter on October 12. However, poor defending and individual mistakes meant the game finished 3-3.
Xavi says elimination impacted Barcelona's performance vs Bayern Munich
Manager Xavi Hernández claimed that Barcelona being eliminated before kick-off against Bayern impacted the team. However, he didn't see it fit to use that as an excuse for the performance.
Bayern outclassed their opponents on the night and were deserved winners. Speaking after full-time. Xavi said (h/t BarcaUniversal):
"The team was affected by the elimination. But it’s not an excuse, we just didn’t compete. It is a tough blow, but we have to keep believing in this team. There are still titles to play for."
“We weren’t at [Bayern’s] level tonight, they were better. Simple as that. The elimination affected us psychologically. Now, we have to keep going and think about the league."
Barca are currently second in La Liga after 11 games, trailing Real Madrid by three points. They are still active in four competitions but instead of the Champions League, they will now compete in the Europa League, UEFA's second-tier club competition.