It is the second season straight with Barcelona facing a very real risk of exiting the Champions League from the group stage which is not something the team wants to have on its track record ledger. Nevertheless, the team is once again struggling in the international arena and looks at an early exit if nothing changes in the next game.
The draw that complicates everything
Barca faced Inter Milan in its last Champions League game. The match was played at peak speeds and had multiple flashy demonstrations of skill from both sides, but, ultimately, Barcelona ended the game in a draw. They needed to win the game to have a chance of holding on to their qualification spot in Group C.
Bayern Munich is already in the playoff stage regardless of how the group plays out. However, Inter is now ahead of Barca by three crucial points. Inter Milan will face the unstoppable Bayern and Viktoria Plzen which should indicate three points at least even if the Italian squad fails to overcome Bayern.
Barcelona is waiting for how Plzen and Milan will play on October 26. If Inter wins, Barcelona will be out for good which will be a massive disappointment for Barca fans from across the globe. Xavi said that the current position of Barcelona is a result of their mistakes and nothing else. He also added that he believed that the team would improve faster, but they were not ready for tough international opposition.
Right now, the team must focus on La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Super Copa. Their international journey in 2022 may be over in a couple of weeks. Expecting Milan to lose to the bottom team of Group C is a faint dream that many do not want to believe in.
Barcelona is underperforming
Xavi is taking the blame and says that the competition itself was quite cruel to the team. However, any words that he can say out loud will not change the fact that Barca is in a slump. They need drastic changes and a little bit of inspiration from their manager!
