3 Reasons why Barcelona faced a 0-3 humiliation at the hands of AS Monaco
- FC Barcelona has lost the Joan Gamper Finals 0-3 to AS Monaco.
- 3 Reasons why Barcelona faced a 0-3 humiliation at the hands of AS Monaco.
FC Barcelona has ended their 2024/25 campaign's preseason with yet another loss, this time it being more humiliating for the Blaugrana club. After dismantling European giants like Manchester City and Real Madrid early in the preseason, the Catalan club seems to have lost the winning track. Though the loss against Milan didn't feel very significant, Barca's poor display against Monaco has been raising a lot of questions about the club's management. From poor finishing to the lack of consistent pressing to the sloppy defense in the second half, Flick's side needs to work hard to recover stronger from this loss. With this loss, FC Barcelona ended their victory train in the Joan Gamper Finals, which they had been winning for the past 10 years.
As the match has presented, Barca needs to work on various aspects to prove themselves as the serious contenders for European glory. Analyzing the fixture closely, let's look at the three major reasons that influenced the fixture's result in favor of AS Monaco:
Poor Finishing
As had been the case in Barca's last fixture against AC Milan, the club's poor finishing was a major factor that influenced Barca's loss. In the early minutes of the Joan Gamper Finals, FC Barcelona was looking impressive; they were creating chances; however, the lack of proper finishing from the club's trusted forward Robert Lewandowski and the young Pau Victor kept Monaco in the game.
Though it was an overall poor performance from the club's attacking department, speaking the harsh truth, the fixture proved to be a nightmare for Lewandowski. Considering the striker's performance against Monaco, questions are being asked regarding his place in the team as the starting forward.
Even though he hadn't been near a decent level, in the initial preseason, Lewandowski's brace against AC Milan had given fans hope that he was back. But his recent outing against Monaco has again pushed the club into a dilemma about whether to count upon him as the starting forward or not.
Sloppy defending
When the club's front three proved futile in registering their name on the scoreline, it was expected that the backline would step up for the Catalan club; however, things got the opposite. The game had stood at 0-0 after the first half, and two quick samples of casual defending saw FC Barcelona much behind in the race for the Gamper Trophy.
Even though a fragile performance was shown by the Blaugrana's back-four in the AC Milan game, scenarios look much worse for Barca this time. Given that starters like Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde, and Andreas Christensen put on such a sloppy display, it is clear that things need to be changed as soon as possible to get back on track.
Moreover, needless to say, Ter Stegen hasn't been the same goalkeeper whom Barca used to trust blindly. Considering the German's recent outings, Barca might need to look for changes in the net responsibilities, and given the performances of Inaki Pena and Astralaga, the duo would be more than happy to cater to the role.
Lack of responsibilities
Meaningfully, Barca's Joan Gamper fixture against AS Monaco was the first outing that saw the club having the services of most of the available starters. Even then, losing in such an embarrassing fashion to a considerably weaker French club raises questions about the club's management and the players.
Being aware that Raphinha feels more natural in his conventional right-wing role, he was utilized on the left wing, with Pau given the right flank, whereas his preferred is the left-wing role. Moreover, having a striker like Lewandowski, currently the club's second-highest salaried player, it hurts to see such a poor finishing display.
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Not only the attacking department but the defense stands equally responsible, if not more, for Barcelona's miserable show against AS Monaco. Boasting off the likes of Ter Stegen, Jules Kounde, and Alejandro Balde, the backline fell apart against the attack force of a the French club. Overall, it is certain that the Barcelona lineup needs to look much more comprehensive and responsible if they want to be the serious contenders for European glory.
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