It was an absolute horror show for Barcelona at the Parc des Princes last night. A 4-0 defeat away to PSG means Barca could fail to reach the quarter finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2007. Luis Enrique is taking most of the flack for a dreadful performance that saw the Catalans outclassed from start to finish against the French champions.
Barca were overrun in midfield all evening yet it took Enrique 58 minutes to make a substution. PSG deserve great credit for their performance but Barca were awful. The five time European Cup winners only managed to get one shot on target in the 90 minutes which isn't good enough with Messi, Suarez and Neymar in your starting 11.
I don't remember hearing Suarez mentioned much last night, Neymar made a few runs in the PSG half and Messi had an off night. MSN were key to Barca winning a treble just two seasons ago but Enrique has had his critics since he took over at the Nou Camp. Barca fans were used to watching their side dominate games in the possession stakes and they also won trophies. Enrique has been accused of being over-reliant on his front three but central midfield is where they were really hurt last night.
When Barca were in their prime they had Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets running the show in the centre of the park which allowed Messi to work his magic. That side under Pep Guardiola were a joy to watch but a midfield unit like that doesn't come around too often. The same trio were also instrumental in Spain winning a World Cup and two European Championships.
As things stand, Barca's only realistic chance of silverware is the Copa Del Rey and with his contract up in the summer it's unlikely Enrqiue will be in the dugout at the Nou Camp next season. The Catalan media have already come down hard on Enrique and it seems the players wouldn't be too bothered if they had a new manager at the start of next season. Whoever comes in has some repair work to do, starting with that midfield unit. They may not be able to match some of their rivals in the transfer market because they will have to spend big to offer Messi a new contract. However I still fancy Barca to win the second leg at home to PSG but at 4-0, they've probably given themselves too much to do to book a place in the quarter finals.
