Barcelona transfers: time of "skinny cows" 1:24
(Reuters) -
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman was resigned after his team was outscored 3-0 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday, saying fans should be realistic about the current difficult situation of the team.
A Thomas Mueller goal gave Bayern a well-deserved lead in the first half before Robert Lewandowski scored twice after the break to inflict another painful European defeat on Barca after the Bavarians thrashed the Catalans 8-2 in August. from last year.
The Dutch coach pointed to the team's injury problems, including the absences of forwards Ousmane Dembélé, Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite and Sergio Agüero, and revealed that Jordi Alba had played despite being ill the night before the match.
Champions: this is how Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético arrive 2:32
"You have to be realistic in life. Our young players showed that we have a future and we have many players to come back from injuries. It is what it is," Koeman said at a press conference.
(Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP via Getty Images)
"We know that we are missing a lot of players in attack and we have to wait a few weeks to have more options and more speed in the future. I don't want to look for excuses, but everyone knows the problems we had with players who were not available."
Barça did not take a single shot on goal in the 90 minutes and while Bayern were able to bring in seasoned internationals like Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman from the bench, Koeman leaned on three teenagers for an answer.
advertising
Barcelona president: Messi's departure was necessary 1:16
"It is very hard to play against a team like Bayern when you don't have a lot of speed up front. We have to accept it and keep working. And we have to recognize the team we are up against," he added.
"To hurt a team like Bayern you have to be at your best and you have to admit it when the other team is better. But I'm a little tired of talking about the same thing, in a few weeks the team will be different because we will have more players available and we will be more fit.
"Bayern are one of the favorites to win the Champions League and we soon had problems. We had a bit of bad luck with their first goal, but in the second half they showed that they are now a better team than us."
BarcelonaUEFA Champions League
