Barcelona will start the 2021/2022 Champions League with two shadows. This can have a negative impact, but it is not impossible that the match against Bayern Munich will be a positive momentum.
Barcelona are in Group E with Bayern Munich, Benfica and Dynamo Kyiv. The inaugural Group E match this season brings together Barcelona against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou Stadium on Tuesday (14/9) night Spanish time.
First, Barcelona, which has just lost Lionel Messi, has yet to find an inspirational figure. In fact, from nine meetings against Bayern Munich, Barcelona have only won twice, thanks to the action of the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player.
Barcelona’s first victory came in the first leg of the last eight of the 2008/2009 season. At that time, El Barca winning 4-0 through two goals from Messi plus goals from Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry.
Then the second victory came in the semifinals of the 2014/2015 season. In the first leg match which took place at the Camp Nou Stadium, Barcelona won 3-0 thanks to two goals from Messi and another goal scored by Neymar.
Now all the players who delivered Barcelona’s victory over Bayern Munich are gone. Eto’o and Henry have retired, while Messi and Neymar are at PSG. Can Barcelona escape Messi’s shadow in this first continental match?
Signs in that direction began to appear. In three La Liga matches, Ronald Koeman’s team have not lost: two wins and one draw. In those three games Memphis Depay and Martin Braithwaite were the top scorers with two goals.
Mainly Depay, is in top form. Not only shining with Barcelona, he also made an impressive appearance with the Dutch national team. Therefore, it is not wrong for Barcelona supporters to hope that this 27-year-old player will appear fierce against Bayern Munich.
The shadow of Messi as Barcelona’s main magic on the European stage in the last two decades may not be replaced, but the DNA of the champion is still the same. The genetics of the Catalan club that are not being colonized are trying to be ignited ahead of this match.
Tickets for Barcelona’s home matches, which did not sell well, became momentum. Reporting from Marca’s report on Friday (10/9), Barcelona vs Bayern Munich tickets have only sold 31,213 of the total number of tickets released: 40,000.
This is an anomaly. In previous seasons, it was very difficult to get tickets for Barcelona’s home games in the Champions League stage. Let alone for big matches like against Bayern Munich, tickets against teams that are considered weaker are just as difficult.
If this time Barcelona can beat Bayern Munich, Messi’s shadow will fade and doubts about the quality of the team can be solved. Automatically, tickets for Barcelona’s home matches will be hunted by club fans who have doubts.
Second, the club nicknamed the Blaugrana was massacred 2-8 in the last match against Die Roten. The defeat was created in the last eight of the 2019/2020 season. The humiliating defeat was created when appearing at a neutral venue: Da Luz Stadium, Lisbon, the headquarters of Benfica.
This is Barcelona’s biggest defeat on the European stage. Considering this duel is the first time after the defeat, the story of this defeat will be thoroughly discussed. This can be a mental crusher for the players.
However, Barcelona is still Barcelona. Their name is bigger than any player, including Messi. Barcelona will still be great without Messi, while Messi will be great because of Barcelona.
Regarding Messi, it will be different. Although raised by Barcelona, Messi is no less big than the club that built him. His name and records will live on as a football star, just like Diego Armando Maradona, Pele and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Currently Barcelona have a list of players who can erase the trail that continues to be associated with Messi. One of them is Depay. The former Olympique Lyonnais player has proven to be the hope of Barcelona’s front line through his goals.
In addition to having already scored two goals in the Spanish League, he has also scored 10 goals for the Netherlands from five matches. Most recently, Depay scored a hat-trick or hat-trick against Turkey in the 2022 World Cup Qualification event on 7 September.
Throughout his career, Depay took part in three European Champions League seasons. The first with Manchester United in the 2015/2016 season, the second with Lyon in the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons.
Of the three seasons he played 24 games or eight games per season. Interestingly, he always scores goals every season. The breakdown is three goals in 2015/2016, one goal in 2018/2019 and six goals in 2019/2020.
Will Depay’s sharpness continue and make Barcelona ‘move on’ from Messi’s shadow? The situation and conditions are very open. Depay is in high confidence after being officially announced as part of Barcelona on 19 June.
The problem is the club nicknamed FC Hollywood is also in a convincing performance. Bayern Munich has never lost in the last six matches. The presence of Julian Nagelsmann keeps the attacking side sharp and the defense solid.
In these six matches, Thomas Muller and his friends only conceded five times and scored 28 goals. Bayern Munich recently crushed RB Leipzig with a score of 4-1. Victory on Saturday (11/9) is the capital away to Barcelona.
Bayern Munich striker, Robert Lewandowski, will undoubtedly be compared with Depay. So far in Bayern Munich’s five games, Lewandowski has scored seven goals. Just like Depay, the man from Poland is also sharp with the national team.
Who will shine more, Depay or Lewandowski? Barcelona is in need of power or natural wonders. They need Depay’s rays to restore the club’s fan confidence, so that the ticket sales ratio returns to normal.
One thing is for sure, even though playing at home to Barcelona will still struggle to beat Bayern Munich. But victory is not impossible. The 2020/2021 European Champions League is a momentum for Barca to erase the traces of Messi and the memory of a 2-8 defeat.
