Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal said on Thursday that the Catalan club were the ‘best team in the world’.
In reality, though, that has not been true for several years now and in the opening 45 minutes, the world was witness as Bayern Munich tore Barca apart.
Regular watchers of Barca will be well aware that their defence is slow and their team ageing, but rarely have they been exposed quite like this.
Coach Quique Setien spoke on Thursday of breaking the Bayern press and attack was indeed the best policy for the Catalans early on as they created a superb chance prior to the Bavarians’ opener and then equalised – albeit fortuitously as David Alaba netted an own goal – after Thomas Muller’s strike.
But goals from Ivan Perisic, Serge Gnabry and Muller again blew Barca away in a period of nine minutes and it was all too easy for the German champions.
A mix-up from Sergi Roberto and Nelson Semedo led to the first of those, while a simple ball over the top saw Clement Lenglet beaten for pace in the next Bayern goal and the French defender was beaten at his near post for the Germans’ fourth.
It was ruthless and clinical by Bayern, and after humiliating defeats to Roma and Liverpool in Europe in the last two seasons, Barca are left with a mountain to climb to avoid another disastrous defeat – and perhaps even a loss of historic proportions – in tonight's Champions League quarter-final.
