It was most certainly a night to forget for the home side as they failed to register a single shot on target and look to be exiting the Champions League with a whimper.
A lot has been made over the perilous economic situation Barcelona have found themselves in this past year. Some fans have voiced their fears that the financial stability of the club had been banked on progression to the knockout stages of the Champions League. Failure to do so not only means the club misses out on prize money, but it will also likely effect how much they earn from existing sponsorships.
Barcelona activated a number of ‘economic levers’ over the summer in the hope that making the team successful on the pitch in the short term will help them balance the books in the long term. One has to ask, what happens if this ‘on pitch’ success isn’t forthcoming?
It’s not all doom and gloom though, domestically they sit just three points behind league leaders Real Madrid with a superior goal difference. Winning La Liga or at least competing until the end of season you would imagine will secure Xavi another season at the helm. He just has to hope that their disappointing European campaign won’t derail the rest of their season. Should Barcelona slip further behind Madrid, pressure will surely begin to mount for the club to make a change in the coaching department.
