“I could lie,” said Ronald Koeman, surveying the wreckage of Barcelona’s European campaign. Or he could have cited famous, apparently implausible comebacks of the fairly recent past. Four years ago, after all, Barcelona recovered from a 4-0 first-leg defeat by Paris Saint-Germain, to win an extraordinary tie 6-5 on aggregate.
Koeman could have concealed his true belief in his players capacity to perform a similar feat in Paris on March 10, after Tuesday's 4-1 first-leg loss at home to a Kylian Mbappe-inspired PSG. Koeman chose candour instead. "I could lie but a 4-1 is very difficult to make up. We have very little chance."
Koeman might be accused of unhelpful gloom. He would insist that clarity is important. The Barcelona he took over last August are in transition, which is the gentle term for decline, and, although there has been a promising run of league form lately, they are absolutely not in the upper tier of superclubs.
“We are missing things that you need to have to be at the top level, above all Champions League level,” Koeman acknowledged after his mixture of veterans, costly underachievers and shell-shocked future prospects had conformed to a script that is far removed from the 6-1 win at full Camp Nou that in 2017 turned around their last meeting with PSG.
Back then, Barcelona were Spanish champions. Back then, they had won four European Cups in the previous 11 years and Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba were still under 30 years old and Neymar and Luis Suarez were Messi’s attacking accomplices.
Tuesday’s defeat to a dynamic, fresh and vibrant PSG belongs in a different Barcelona tradition, the modern one which spells out the story of their diminishing Champions League status in heavy scorelines: 2018 quarter-final - Roma 3, Barcelona 0; 2019 semi-final: Liverpool 4, Barcelona 0; 2020 last-eight: Bayern Munich 8, Barcelona 2; 2020 group stage decider on who finishes top: Barcelona 0, Juventus 3.
In three of those, Barcelona had started with an advantage. They actually beat Juventus 1-0 in Turin last October, and, notoriously, had three-goal leads from the first legs of their ties against Roma and Liverpool. Even against PSG in an emptied Camp Nou, they took the lead, via a penalty, which, this season, is the only sort of goal Messi scores in Europe.
It was another sad night for Messi. The captain’s future, once his contract expires in June, is the constant lens through which Barca’s current predicament is viewed, and there is very little way of seeing this latest setback shifting his view that this is no longer a club at which, at 33, he can aspire to winning a fifth European Cup.
Barca v PSG player ratings
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BARCELONA RATINGS: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 6 - Kept busier than in recent domestic games but stranded by Mbappe’s magnificence for the visitors’ opening goal. Another fine save from Mbappe on 46 minutes but beaten twice again in the second half and Kean’s header went through his hands. Overwhelmed, like his team. Getty -
Sergino Dest, 4 - The young American will never forget the night he tried to contain Mbappe – a near impossible task and Pique tried to talk him through with little success as he was found out of position. Looked a little nervous and did his best, but it’d be easier to make a house out of jelly. EPA -
Gerard Pique, 5 - Surprise call up having been out since November, but with Aruajo out, needs must and Pique’s experience was called on. Sidestepped by Mbappe for the first PSG goal. Which defender wouldn’t have been? Blocked a Verrati shot with his head and heeled a Florenzi cross away from goal – towards Mbappe who scored the second. The defining image of the game is him trying – and failing – to stop Mbappe. AFP -
Clement Lenglet, 5 - Not the certain starter he was a year ago, but Koeman went for his experience against his compatriots. Involved, but not always in a good way and looked all over the place as PSG asserted their superiority. Reuters -
Jordi Alba, 6 - Left looking where the ball was when former Barça player Icardi headed a corner just wide at the end of an excellent first half. In the second, Alba’s pass was handled and it looked like it should have been a penalty. AFP -
Frenkie de Jong, 6 - Won a 26th minute penalty after tripping. And that was just about his highlight. Cut a forlorn figure after as he explained how his side had been outclassed. Getty -
Sergio Busquets, 6 - A cerebral and hugely successful footballer, but struggled against PSG’s fleet-heeled forwards. And midfielders as they attacked in waves with devastating speed and precision. Normally has over 100 touches per games – had just 58 in 77 minutes. EPA -
Pedri, 6 - New signing and a revelation this season, the teen put Griezmann towards goal on 13 minutes. Stopped an 18th minute Mbappe effort going in on the line. Tough first half for him against Gueye, who fouled him (and several other Barca players) and was booked on 20 minutes. An experience for him to play a game of such a high level. AFP -
Lionel Messi, 7 - Looked on it at the start. One-two with Griezmann early on, came deep to try and get more involved, smashed a 26th minute left foot penalty centrally past Navas. Used to outclassing teams, it was his time to be outclassed as Barça were humiliated in the Champions League for a fourth consecutive season. Reuters -
Antoine Griezmann, 6 - A 13th minute shot well saved by Navas. Ran from his own half with the ball and chased by three players after 36 minutes to shoot past Navas – but just wide. AFP -
Ousmane Dembele, 5 - Feeble 28th minute shot should have made it 2-0, but the ball trickled towards Navas. Exciting when he got the ball on the right, but PSG’s defence were so well organised to blunt him. A poor showing against his compatriots. EPA -
SUBS: Oscar Mingueza, N/A - On for Dest 72. Had to stop the unplayable Mbappe, but how to stop a player who is unplayable? You can’t. AFP -
Trincao, N/A - On for Piqie on 78. He’s been in form lately and scoring goals but had little impact. Reuters -
Riqui Puig, N/A - On for Pedri on 78. Looked a boy among men. AFP -
Miralem Pjanic, N/A - On for Busquets on 78. Wanted more minutes in Koeman’s side. Didn’t want them when his side were already beaten. AP -
Martin Braithwaite, N/A - On for Griezmann on 85. Like trying to put a large fire out with a small cup of water. The damage was done and Pjanic had to urge him to get the ball quicker for a corner. EPA -
PSG RATINGS: Keylor Navas, 5 – The former Real Madrid goalkeeper could do little to stop Lionel Messi’s penalty, but was very lucky not to be punished when he tried to outwit Antoine Griezmann with a disastrous chipped clearance which almost ended up in the back of the net. AP -
Alessandro Florenzi, 7 – After a cagey first half he was excellent in the second and he produced a vital clearance on the slide with the hosts piling on the pressure, before charging forward to supply the cross which allowed Kylian Mbappe to rifle in his second. Getty -
Marquinhos, 6 – Like Florenzi, he will have been relieved to see the Griezmann chance go begging when he was uncertain as to whether he should close down the forward or track the runner, but asides from that it was a steady night’s work for the Brazilian. AFP -
Presnel Kimpembe, 7 - Another big performance at the back from Kimpembe, who produced a crucial block to deny Ousmane Dembele early in the contest before reacting quickest to snuff out Sergio Busquets’ ball over the top for Messi. AFP -
Layvin Kurzawa, 7 - Guilty of tripping De Jong in the box as Messi made no mistake from 12 yards, but he responded perfectly when his cross was flicked into the path of Mbappe who hammered in the leveller before ter Stegen’s fingertips denied him a huge goal. AFP -
Leandro Paredes, 7 – A story of set pieces. A lethargic first half was epitomised by a couple of poor deliveries, but when it really mattered he put a precise free-kick on a plate for Kean to steer the visitors into a 3-1 lead having earlier unleashed Florenzi to set up Mbappe’s second of the night. Reuters -
Idrissa Gueye, 5 - For a split-second it looked like Barcelona were in trouble when he lined one up from distance only for his strike to bend comfortably wide. He was booked for hauling down Pedri and seemed determined to get sent off until his withdrawal at the break. AFP -
MF Moise Kean, 8 – How Everton fans will be wishing they’d seen a bit more of this. The winger forced a corner after ghosting between two defenders with frightening acceleration before he was twice denied by smart saves from ter Stegen, but he popped up at the back post to nod the French side into dreamland. AFP -
Marco Verratti, 8 - PSG’s most influential player inside the opening 45 minutes as the Italian pulled the strings in the middle and set up Mbappe with a lovely calculated flick. He was equally effective at the other end, thwarting Griezmann with a glorious tackle. AFP -
Kylian Mbappe, 10 - An exceptional talent, a remarkable hat-trick. The sensational forward showed brilliant feet to shift the ball away from Clement Lenglet and onto his left foot before smashing PSG level. He was on hand again to hammer Les Parisiens in front and he capped an electric evening with a fine strike into the top corner. AFP -
Mauro Icardi, 6 - Wasted one of the chances of the night when his tame strike was hooked away to safety by Pedri with the goal gaping and he showed a similar lack of conviction after the break when he opted to flick the ball to Kean when it was begging to be hit. AFP -
SUBS: Ander Herrera, 6 - Replaced the less than subtle Idrissa Gueye at the interval as Maurico Pochettino exercised caution and he almost sent Mbappe away again with a lifted ball over the top. AP -
Thilo Kehrer, N/A - Thrown into the mix in place of Alessandro Florenzi as the visitors saw off a late Barca rally. AFP -
Julian Draxler, N/A - Replaced Marco Verratti in the 72nd minute and put the icing on the cake when he showed excellent close control before laying the ball off for Mbappe to complete a brilliant hat-trick. AFP -
DF Danilo Pereira, N/A - Replaced the impressive Moise Kean. The idea was probably to preserve the lead the visitors already had rather than extending it, but Mbappe had other ideas. AFP
Messi had his moments against PSG, including the lofted pass that led to Frenkie de Jong being awarded the penalty, but as Koeman observed, the speed with which PSG equalised - Mbappe scored the first of his three goals five minutes after Messi’s spot-kick - pointed to the same brittleness in Barcelona that they revealed in those thumpings by Roma, Liverpool, Bayern and Juventus.
“When you concede an equaliser so quickly, it is always a problem,” said the coach, pointing to a chance, set up by Messi, that Ousmane Dembele had struck weakly at PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
“That was a good chance, at 1-0,” lamented Koeman, while Messi could hardly avoid seeing it as a deja vu. In the see-saw semi-final against Liverpool in 2019, Messi had also set up Dembele with a glorious opportunity to score a fourth Barcelona goal in the tie. Dembele, the €117m purchase, fluffed that one too, and Messi collapsed to the ground in despair.
But the images that most endure from this latest rout will be the pictures of a desperate, outpaced Pique grasping at the jersey of an escaping Mbappe - a World Cup-winning Barcelona centre-half, 34 and rushed back into the team after almost three months out with a knee problem, eclipsed by a 22-year-old who won the last World Cup while still in his teens.
“We know what can happen to us when we play a team physically superior to us,” said Koeman, “and PSG showed they are a more complete side that we are, we have to accept that.”
Bayern 8 Barca 2
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Barcelona's Lionel Messi looks broken after the 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich. Reuters -
Lionel Messi leaves the pitch after the 8-2 humiliation. AP -
Thomas Muller celebrates giving Bayern a 1-0 lead. Reuters -
Lionel Messi after the match. Reuters -
Bayern Munich celebrate. EPA -
Barcelona star Lionel Messi's future at the club will now be under scrutiny. Reuters -
Bayern Munich players celebrate after the astonishing win. EPA -
Barcelona coach Quique Setien. EPA -
Bayern Munich's David Alaba scores an own goal to make the score 1-1. Reuters -
Croatian midfielder Ivan Perisic (L) celebrates putting Bayern 2-1 ahead. AFP -
Serge Gnabry (L) after making the score 1-3. EPA -
Thomas Mueller celebrates after making it 1-4. Reuters -
Luis Suarez, right, gives Barca brief hope after pulling a goal back, 2-4. PA -
Joshua Kimmich makes it 2-5. EPA -
Robert Lewandowski on target for 2-6. Reuters -
Bayern Munich's Philippe Coutinho gets in on the act, and it's 2-7. Reuters -
Coutinho again, and the Barca nightmare is over, final score 2-8. AP
Ominously, the PSG who stretched Barcelona this way and that, who controlled midfield through Marco Verratti and Leandro Paredes, were not the complete PSG by any means.
They were missing the injured Neymar and Angel Di Maria, two of what is probably their first-choice front three. Di Maria is on schedule to be fit for the return leg. Neymar may yet be.
And PSG are already halfway to matching the 8-2 scoreline that ousted Barcelona last year from a competition that looks less and less like their natural domain.
