Bayern Munich blew away Barcelona with a 3-0 win in a snowy football match played at Allianz Arena in Germany. A defeat to German champions eliminated Barcelona from the Champions League knockout stage for the first time in 21 years this means their season will now continue in the Europa League instead. New head coach Xavi is pissed off by the club’s early exit from the prestigious football tournament in the world.
Xavi said according to ESPN reports: “Bayern dominated us. We always want to dominate but it was the opposite here. We must demand more. We’re Barca. This must be a point of inflection to change the dynamic and many more things. This is the Champions League, but this is also our reality. It’s the situation we’re in. I’m angry. This is the reality and it pisses me off. We have to tackle it face on. There’s nothing else for it.”
“A new era starts today. We start from zero. Our objective is the Champions League, not the Europa League but that is our reality now and we have to try and win it. I’ve seen how tough the reality is,” Xavi added. “I hoped we would compete better. Bayern are better. That’s the reality. But we’re going to work hard and give our all so that this doesn’t happen again. It’s a feeling of helplessness.”
“We have to start to get Barca back where they belong, which is not in the Europa League. This is also a hammer blow for me as a coach. We will work hard to bring Barca back, but we have to change a lot, of course.”
Barca has dropped sharply since last winning the Champions League in 2015. Since then, they have suffered heavy defeats to Paris Saint-Germain (twice), Juventus (twice), AS Roma, and Liverpool. Meanwhile, Bayern has now beaten them 8-2, 3-0, and 3-0 in their three meetings over the last 16 months.
