Flick: Barcelona's Monaco Loss 'Worst Game'
Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann has labelled Barcelona's 3-1 defeat to AS Monaco in the Champions League as their "worst game" of the season so far.
The German tactician, whose side are preparing for their own Champions League clash against Inter Milan on Tuesday, was clearly unimpressed by the performance of the Catalan giants.
"It was their worst game of the season," said Nagelsmann in his pre-match press conference. "They were not good at all, and they were lucky to only lose 3-1. Monaco were very good, and they deserved to win."
Barcelona were comprehensively outplayed by Monaco, who dominated possession and created numerous chances. The Ligue 1 side were also more clinical in front of goal, scoring three times from just five shots on target.
The result leaves Barcelona in a precarious position in Group C, as they sit third with just one point from their first two matches. They now face a must-win situation against Inter Milan if they are to avoid an early exit from the competition.
Xavi Hernandez, the Barcelona manager, has acknowledged that his team needs to improve if they are to be successful in Europe. "We need to be better, much better," said Xavi. "We need to learn from our mistakes and we need to work hard. We have to be more clinical in front of goal and we need to defend better. We have to be more aggressive and we have to be more confident."
The defeat to Monaco has raised serious questions about Barcelona's ability to challenge for the Champions League title. They have been inconsistent in the competition in recent years, and their performance against Monaco suggests that they are still some way off from being a genuine contender.
The pressure is now on Xavi and his players to turn things around quickly. They need to win their next two Champions League matches and they need to start winning consistently in La Liga. If they don't, they could find themselves facing a long and difficult season.
It remains to be seen whether Barcelona can recover from this humiliating defeat. However, one thing is for sure: they will need to significantly improve their performance if they are to achieve their objectives this season.
