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Five Champions League takeaways

By Ernesto Hernandez

NAPLES, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 17: Fernando Llorente, Dries Mertens and Eljif Elmas of SSC Napoli celebrate the victory after the UEFA Champions League group E match between SSC Napoli and Liverpool FC at Stadio San Paolo on September 17, 2019 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
NAPLES, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 17: Fernando Llorente, Dries Mertens and Eljif Elmas of SSC Napoli celebrate the victory after the UEFA Champions League group E match between SSC Napoli and Liverpool FC at Stadio San Paolo on September 17, 2019 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) /
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Manuel Akanji of Borussia Dortmund fights for the ball against Luis Suárez of FC Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Barcelona at the Signal Iduna Park on September 17, 2019 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Peter Niedung/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Manuel Akanji of Borussia Dortmund fights for the ball against Luis Suárez of FC Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Barcelona at the Signal Iduna Park on September 17, 2019 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Peter Niedung/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /

4. No remedy for Barcelona on the road

Barcelona continued their poor play away from the Camp Nou drawing to Borussia Dortmund in a game they would have lost had it not been for Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

What has plagued Barcelona the past couple of seasons was the disconnect between midfield and the attack and that was showcased once again.

Luis Suarez has not scored an away goal in over four years and that drought is unlikely to end anytime soon. As the lone striker, he looks slow and doesn’t present any problems for the opposition defense. He is capable of a wonder goal here and there but is a detriment to Barcelona’s overall style of play.

Without Lionel Messi, there is no creative outlet and Barcelona need a near-perfect play to have some sort of shot. Speaking of Messi, a bright spot for the Catalans is that he made his season debut coming on in the second-half after being sidelined with a calf injury.

These poor showings are not just a recent thing either. While the most high-profile defeats have come recently under Ernesto Valverde, this issue has been a problem since the days of Pep Guardiola.

Fortunately for Barcelona, their group is all tied up at a point a piece as Inter Milan drew their game against Slavia Prague.

But if Barcelona want to win this competition again, their performances on the road need to significantly improve.

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