Insult to injury for the Catalan giants.
Barcelona made a holy show of themselves on Friday night, when they were ruthlessly sliced apart by Bayern Munich in their one-off Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon. Philippe Coutinho helped deliver the final blow(s).
On the bench from the start sat Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele – two of their three most expensive signings – while the most expensive, Coutinho, sat on the opposition bench.
The Brazilian playmaker came onto the pitch with his side already possessing an insurmountable lead, and poured salt in the wounds of his parent club with two late goals.
Well, it could be about to get worse. Because if Coutinho wins the Champions League with Bayern, then Barca will be obligated to pay Liverpool a fee, as part of the £140 million which took him from Anfield.
Bit harsh mate https://t.co/wkWg7bqFLN
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) August 14, 2020
There were a number of clauses inserted into that deal, and one stipulates that Barca will have to pay Liverpool £4.5 million should Coutinho win the Champions League while contracted to Barcelona.
That leaves the Catalan club facing the grim prospect of rewarding Liverpool for the fact that one of their own players eliminated them from Europe.
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique faced the six-goal thumping head-on with a frank interview that featured on the club’s official website. Pique commented:
“It was a horrible game, the feeling is terrible, embarrassing is the word. I think now we have hit rock bottom.
“We can’t compete like that, you can’t play like that in Europe. It is not the first time, the second time or the third time, it’s very tough. I hope it is useful for something.
“Now everyone has to have a good look at themselves, the club needs change and I am not talking about the coach or the players, I am not pointing the finger at anyone. Nobody is safe, I am the first to say that I will go if new blood has to come in, I am the first to leave. We have to have a real look internally about what is best for the club.”
It has been a tremendously shitty season for the La Liga club, and last night only added to the mess. What awaits them now is a period of serious introspection regarding the future direction of the club. Either that, or they’ll just splurge hundreds of millions again. At this stage, it’s hard to tell which way it will go.
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