Barca met Inter Milan in the Champions League Group Stage, the toughest group to qualify for. With teams like Viktoria Plzen, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Inter-Milan, it can be considered the group of death.
With the "group of death" comes pressure to qualify for the next round of the Champions League. With Bayern Munich comfortably winning against Viktoria Plzen, they are in pole position for a spot in the Champions League round of 16.
Barcelona did not look like themselves at all; possession football was effective in La Liga, but it was no match for the Italian side, who were quick to counter whenever they lost the ball.
The warning signs came in early as Eric Garcia's handball was caught by Eric Garcia, and with the Inter Milan player being offside, it didn't count. But that was the first incident which showed Barca might crumble under pressure.
Then came the strike of Calhanoglu, which ultimately marked a win for the Milan side. A controversial moment came in as a goal was disallowed by Pedri following Ansu Fati’s handball, but later in the game, a penalty shout was ignored involving an Inter player.
Barcelona, going into this game, might have thought about keeping the ball with them; they expected Inter to sit in their half and let the visitors control possession, and this is exactly what happened, as Inter were solid in their defence, keeping the formation and closing down the spaces.
But the ball, which was much needed by the Barcelona forwards, never arrived. When it came to decisive moments, the passes did not arrive. Alonso and Dembele got themselves into a favourable position but never did well in the final third of the game. Either they would shoot blank or misplace a pass, leading to an Inter counter.
Xavi has to address this mistake, as these mistakes against teams like Bayern or Manchester City could cost Barcelona titles. Barcelona is now in the Europa League, with Bayern Munich in first place, Inter in second, and Barca in third.
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