Barcelona’s return to the Camp Nou for Champions League play for the first time in over three years was almost spoiled by Eintracht Frankfurt, ending in a 2-1 victory on Wednesday. A second-half brace from Jules Kounde turned the score in favor of Barcelona, but they were left questioning how they found themselves in a deficit at all.

Defensive Woes

Despite aspirations for Champions League glory, the defense’s inability to maintain stability is concerning, as evidenced by their previous performances where they allowed six goals in a match. A new mystique seems to have vanished from the Camp Nou, where opponents used to fear facing Barcelona.

Player criticism has surfaced, symbolizing concerns over strategy, particularly when teams adeptly exploit Barcelona’s offside traps. The team now lacks a solid defensive enforcer, leading to synchronization issues across the attacking unit.

Lack of Impact from Key Players

Robert Lewandowski struggled throughout the match, managing only 19 touches and failing to take any shots on target. This points to larger issues within the squad; during the league phase, Barcelona has scored fourteen goals but conceded eleven. The lack of consistency when facing top competitors like Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea has raised alarms about the effectiveness of their current tactics.

Upcoming Challenges

With Slavia Prague and Copenhagen left to face in their league matches, progress through to the next phase seems likely, but if Barcelona continue to falter against weaker opponents, their hopes of going deep in the tournament may be jeopardized.

Nathaniel Brown sets up with Ansgar Knauff who blows past the Barcelona defense and scores Frankfurt’s opener 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FuuJqhyEzV