Barcelona may need a win away at Bayern Munich to mathematically secure their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, but their display against Real Betis on Saturday afternoon showed why the Blaugrana will likely struggle in Germany.
The reality is that Xavi Hernandez is facing the same issues that his predecessor Ronald Koeman faced at Barcelona, with the team lacking a clinical touch in front of goal once again as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Betis at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona can’t afford not to have Ousmane Dembele in the starting line-up when the Frenchman is fit to play. Xavi‘s side are another team with Dembele on the pitch, as he constantly creates danger from the right wing.
Another injury issue for Barcelona, as Gavi had to be replaced in the first half after Hector Bellerin‘s clearance hit him his head before the youngster collided into the Betis right-back’s leg. Fortunately, Gavi didn’t need to be taken to the hospital and everything indicates that it was just a scare.
Philippe Coutinho was given a chance to impress by Xavi, as he was named in the starting line-up. The Brazilian midfielder got off to a fine start and looked lively in the first minutes of the game, but his performance faded as the game went on. If the idea was to give him playing time and put him in the shop window, it clearly didn’t work.
Betis‘ disallowed goal provoked complaints from Los Verdiblancos‘ players. However, the replays clearly showed that Juanmi was in an offside position.
Riqui Puig was finally handed chance to play after Gavi‘s injury, but he failed to make an impact. His lack of playing time may have weighed on him, or he is not the player who can make a name for himself at Barcelona.
Barcelona are still struggling in defence. The Blaugrana appeared unable to win individual battles and they left huge spaces for the Betis players to exploit, with the opposition finding it easy to score goals against them so far this season.
