3 talking points from Barcelona’s Europa League exit

Barcelona reminded of where their deficiencies lie

No one can deny the improvement Barcelona has made since the arrival of Xavi. However, against Eintracht Frankfurt, it was also evident how far they have to go as well as where their problem areas lie.

No one player is to blame. There is plenty to go around but it was a reminder of where the club needs to improve and which players are a liability, particularly in European competition, at this stage of their career.

Without Dani Alves and Sergiño Dest, Oscar Mingueza was given a start at right-back. The La Masia graduate had a poor game as he was a non-factor in attack and had all sorts of problems in defense. After providing decent cover under Ronald Koeman, he’s not been used a lot by Xavi and his performance was a reason as to why.

But he wasn’t the only one.

Jordi Alba also continued his poor run of form that he’s been carrying for the last couple of games. While he did deliver the cross to Luuk de Jong’s goal against Levante, he’s been left wanting on the grand stage.

His crosses were poor in this game and his decision making led to dangerous set piece attempts for Frankfurt. He has played a lot recently as Barcelona don’t have another left-back on the team. Strengthening that part of the pitch is going to be high on their priority list.

So too will be a striker as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did not have his best game. He had a chance early in the second half to pull one back but missed a chance someone of his caliber should be making. When he isn’t putting the ball in the back of the net, he doesn’t provide much else on the pitch.

On the other hand, the absence of Gerard Pique was a reminder that despite his age and what some people may think of him as a defender, he remains a crucial part of the Barcelona defense. It is very noticeable when he’s not there. Had he been available, he might have been out there instead of Garcia and that penalty never would have happened.

Again, the performance was similar to others we’ve seen in the past against opposition who are as good, if not better. Come the summer, there needs to be change. Both in adding new players and letting go of those who are not at the required level.

The Camp Nou has become a non-factor in Europe

It used to be that teams went into the Camp Nou knowing they were in for a difficult match. More often than not, it meant they were in line for a loss and a Barcelona win.

That hasn’t been the case the last couple of seasons.

A significant number of Eintracht Frankfurt supporters filled the Camp Nou, making it a home game for the German side. Something both Xavi and club president Joan Laporta noted at the end of the game.

"“The atmosphere did not help at all, that’s clear,” Xavi said in a news conference after his side’s elimination. “It affected us and we didn’t play well, but that should not serve as an excuse, we also have to congratulate Frankfurt. They were better across the tie. “It was like a final, with the stadium split. It was disappointing. Even our players commented on it. The dressing room wants to know what has happened. We will seek an explanation. “This cannot happen when you are playing at home. It hasn’t helped, that’s clear. It’s an error in planning and calculations. The club is going to find out what happened.” Source: ESPN"

Such was the displeasure of the attendance among a sector of the Barcelona support that they stayed inside the Camp Nou, refusing to come out during the opening minutes of the second half.

On a night where Barcelona needed the support of the fans, they got the opposite with the club playing a role in that. As Xavi said, it wasn’t an excuse but it certainly didn’t help matters.

As for Laporta, he said he was “ashamed” of what happened.

We’ve seen what kind of impact an atmosphere can have on a team and the match as a whole. The atmosphere at the match between Barça Femeni and Real Madrid a couple of weeks ago is a prime example.

Whether or not limiting the number of tickets for the away support would have made any difference is anyone’s guess but it certainly could not have hurt.

In any case, Barcelona being unable to win at home in Europe has become a trend. A trend they will need to break if they want to have any hope of making a deep run in the Champions League next season.

With the Europa League elimination, Barcelona now have to turn their focus to LaLiga and ensure they finish in the top four.

“We have to change chip straight away,” Xavi added. “I have told the players I am proud, to keep their heads up and that we have to improve and keep believing in what we are doing.”