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Koeman: We must be realistic

Barcelona coach strikes a resigned tone after 3-0 home defeat by Bayern

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman was in a resigned mood after his side were outclassed 3-0 by Bayern Munich in their Champions League opener yesterday morning (Singapore time), saying fans needed to be realistic about the team's plight.

A deflected goal from Thomas Mueller gave Bayern a deserved lead in the first half of the Group E clash at the Nou Camp.

Robert Lewandowski struck twice after the break to inflict another painful European defeat on the Catalan side, who lost 8-2 to Bayern in August last year.

Koeman pointed to the team's injury problems, including the absences of forwards Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite and Sergio Aguero and revealed Jordi Alba had played despite being ill the night before the match.

"You have to be realistic in life. Our young players showed we have a future and we have a lot of players to come back from injuries. It is what it is," Koeman told a news conference.

"We know we're missing a lot of players in attack and we have to wait a few weeks to have more options and more speed going forward. I don't want to look for excuses but everyone knows the problems we had with the players who were unavailable."

Barca failed to have a single shot on target over the 90 minutes. Their only real attempt on goal in the first half came from a free-kick, with defender Ronald Araujo meeting Memphis Depay's cross and heading just over the bar.

While Bayern were able to bring on the likes of Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman from the bench, Koeman summoned three teenagers in search of a response.

His tone of resignation was mirrored by Gerard Pique and the fans.

While the Nou Camp crowd was limited to 40,000 due to coronavirus restrictions, there were fewer fans in attendance owing to a lack of appetite for the post-Lionel Messi era.

Loud boos could be heard at half-time, but things got more desperate for the hosts after the break.

By the end of the game, Barca fans, resigned to their fate, were sarcastically applauding the team whenever they managed to recover the ball.

Pique said: "Overall I think the scoreline was a bit unfair but we cannot kid ourselves, they were far better than us."

Mueller gave Bayern the lead in the 34th minute with a strike from outside the area which deflected off Barca defender Eric Garcia to confound goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Lewandowski struck the German champions' second in the 56th minute, tapping into the net from close range on the rebound after Jamal Musiala had hit the post as Bayern made a rampant start after the break.

The Polish striker twisted the knife further into Barcelona by scoring again in the 85th minute, collecting the ball in the area after another shot had come back off the post and tormenting the defence before calmly beating ter Stegen.

"It's a lot of fun playing here, the boys enjoyed it," Mueller said. "When you win 3-0 here, it's a really important signal. We're really pleased. We gave very little away at the back and going forward, we could have scored one or two more."

With Group E having two weaker teams in Dynamo Kiev and Benfica - who drew 0-0 yesterday - Barca should still reach the last 16 as group runners-up.

Reaching the knockout phase, however, could merely delay another humiliating defeat once they meet a top side. - REUTERS

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