FC Barcelona fans were in for a nightmarish evening against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. What was expected to be a firecracker of a Champions League game ended up a damp squib in the London club’s favour.
Chelsea secured a 3–0 win on the night, but in truth, it could have been much more. Barcelona, on the other hand, failed to take an early gilt-edged opportunity and, thereafter, hardly got a whiff of the game.
Ronald Araujo’s red card in the first half did not help Barcelona’s cause, and any hopes of a comeback were all but extinguished in that moment. It was a poor performance from Hansi Flick’s team, and they will be the first to hold their hands up and admit it.
With all this in mind, here are three talking points for Barcelona from their 3–0 drubbing by Chelsea in the Champions League.
Ronald Araujo and the last straw on the camel’s back
When will Barcelona start learning from their mistakes? For the third successive season, Ronald Araujo has directly cost his team in a big Champions League game, and this is not acceptable from someone who is your captain.
The Uruguayan was sent off against PSG two seasons ago, which completely tilted the tie in the Parisians’ favour. He had a horrendous cameo after coming on against Inter Milan, which saw his team knocked out of the Champions League.
Last night, against Chelsea, he lost his head and made an absolutely reckless challenge while already on a booking. Araujo did not even look up after receiving the red card, walking straight into the tunnel.
At this point, it has become a pattern and, until the Uruguayan fixes it, if he can at all, there is no way he should be starting big games for Barcelona going forward. He is a liability, and Hansi Flick simply cannot afford that.
A non-existent midfield
If Barcelona’s midfield performance at St James’ Park earlier this season drew massive praise and was a clinic in how two players can dominate the position, the display at Stamford Bridge was the exact opposite.
Hansi Flick lined up with Eric Garcia and Frenkie de Jong in midfield, with Fermin Lopez ahead of them, and none of the three managed to gain any sort of control in that area. Moises Caicedo took Frenkie out of the game, and that effectively shut down Barcelona’s chances.
Last night was a reminder of just how much Barcelona miss Pedri. The Spaniard is expected to return this weekend. Having him in London could have resulted in a different story, but it is easy to speculate in hindsight.
The truth is that Chelsea’s midfield outclassed Barcelona at their own game, with both Caicedo and Enzo Fernqndez looking imperious. Frenkie and co. will want to put this performance behind them quickly.
An Enzo Maresca masterclass
It is not often you see Hansi Flick tactically outclassed during a game, but last night Pep’s protégé Enzo Maresca completely outwitted the German manager with his tactical set-up against the Catalan club.
The Italian raised eyebrows when he named a starting XI without a recognised striker. However, it played beautifully into Chelsea’s hands, who found space in behind Barcelona time and again.
Maresca has shown during his time at Chelsea that he is tactically astute and unafraid to make changes. Against Barcelona, he showed he has what it takes to do it on the biggest stages against the biggest teams.
Both managers had plenty of praise for one another ahead of the game, but in the end, one gained the upper hand over the other. It remains to be seen whether Hansi Flick gets a chance to outwit the Italian later in the competition.