Chaos breaks out in Antwerp as the Catalan visitors get shouldered by the Belgian hosts – Barcelona still qualifies for the Round of 16
Royal Antwerp 3 Vs 2 FC Barcelona: A slow and dismaying start for the Blaugranas has definitely been an itchy point for their fans. A poor run in La Liga where they currently struggle to put up a fight in the title race coupled with many upsets along the way could just be worrying signs.
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However, no one, and I mean, not a single orbiting electron saw Antwerp bossing around in their 3-2 win against Barcelona. Though the visitors finished top of their group with 4 wins and 2 losses, it was surely an alarming signal for them – for if they really want to fulfill that desire of winning the most coveted prize in all of Europe again, they’ll have to do more than just a top group finish.
Royal Antwerp 3 Vs 2 FC Barcelona
It took the home side only two minutes to open the scoring with a strike from Arthur Vermeeren. A response came shortly after from Ferran Torres to make it level at 1-1. Ten minutes into the second half, Vincent Janses gave the hosts their lead back until Marc Guiu decided to bring it back to a level pegging in the dying minutes of the 90. However, the 17-year-old Frenchman, George Ilenikhena decided to cash in and seal the winner, making it 3-2 for the Royal Antwerp.
Barring possession, the Catalan powerhouse was outclassed in every other aspect of the game. Both teams registered 11 shots but Royal Antwerp had more on target with 5 in contrast to Barcelona’s 3. They also created 4 big chances of which only 1 was missed, the defending champions in Spain could only create 2 big chances, both of which were converted into goals. Royal Antwerp tallied an xG of 1.48 as opposed to Barcelona’s 1.19, which just goes to show how clinical they were on the night.
Worrying Signs on the Horizon
Xaviball’s ineptness recently has sparked some serious concerns for Barcelona. Is it exhaustion at the player’s end or the expanding list of injuries? That remains to be seen but what is sure beyond any doubt is that Barcelona doesn’t look very competent going into the Round of 16. Perhaps the only positive to come out from this season’s Champions League run is their advancement to the RO16, a spot they were away from for almost 3 years. Speaking of the team’s current situation, he says:
“Yes, I’m worried,” Xavi confirmed at full-time. “It is normal.”
“The team isn’t feeling comfortable. We have had a bad streak of negative results. We have to be critical. The opposition is generating a lot [of chances against] us and it is costing us too much. The positive point is that we are in the round of 16,”
“We’re coming off a difficult few years for the club, but now we’re in the round of 16, which was one of the goals we set at the start of the season.“
Can they win the UCL this season?
It’s never an unpopular opinion to include Barcelona in the favorites to be crowned kings of Europe. Given their quality of players coupled with their history in the competition, they’re still very much one of the favorites. But what do they need to materialize their aspirations of getting their hands on that glowing trophy?
Perhaps a few winter signings in the form of loan moves may help as they currently struggle with finances. It must also be noted that key figures such as Ter Stegen, Gavi, and Frenkie De Jong are all out of action so once we see their lineup take its strongest shape, the lethal Barça we know of will wreak havoc once again.
