Barcelona’s loss to Man United, early exit from Europa League The Spanish club had to think outside the box to put up such a team, but it hasn’t lived up to international standards. If there was a case to be made in support of Barcelona’s astonishing decision this summer to sell off more than €600 million worth of assets in order to raise money for fresh additions to Xavi’s team, it was in Europe. Joan Laporta, the returning president, had witnessed personally the “virtuous loop” in which on-field success sparked more interest and earnings, enabling the team to be further enhanced and finally establishing Barcelona at the pinnacle of European football.
The reasoning was that if Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Raphinha, and so many others were added, the team would be ready to play against the best in Europe. They might lose 25% of their domestic television revenue for the next 25 years, but if broadcasting stats were rising regardless because Barcelona was the team to watch, then it was a risk worth taking.
Barcelona’s loss to Man United, early exit from Europa League
Eyeballs and sponsors would follow. To do this, however, would require a team that could at least be mentioned in the same breath as their predecessors. This team would need to at least be in the Champions League at the end of the tournament, even if they weren’t quite as good as the Dream Team or the MSN front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar.
Instead, Barcelona leaves continental football together with Midtjylland, Salzburg, and Nantes after being eliminated from the Europa League in the first round by goals from Fred and Antony in the second half. After blowing a €20 million hole in the club’s budget due to being eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage, there is now no deep run in the second-tier tournament to fill some of those holes. The Camp Nou The Camp Nou was intended to relive its glory days thanks to a €158 million spending binge. The cost of thrashing Viktoria Plzen twice appears high.
