Barcelona have not managed to win the Champions League or even reach the final for a fourth consecutive season after being eliminated in the semi-final of the competition 4-3 on aggregate at the hands of Liverpool
Ernesto Valverde's side has hoped to heal a gaping wound and looked to be on the right track after the thumping three-goal win at the Camp Nou, but in a nearly identical manner as last year's against Roma, Barcelona's Champions League dream is in tatters.
The Giallorossi overturned a 4-1 first-leg deficit and with three goals from Daniele De Rossi, Edin Dzeko and Kostas Manolas in Italy they reached the semi-final of the 2017/18 campaign. And those ghosts appeared again at Anfield.
A couple of years ago it was another Italian team, Juventus, who knocked out the Blaugrana, and the Catalans didn't even score a single goal against the Bianconeri before a double from Paulo Dybala and another from Giorgio Chiellini eliminated Barcelona 3-0 on aggregate
In 2015/16 Luis Enrique's men grabbed a 2-1 victory in the first leg of the quarter-final against Atletico Madrid, but Los Rojiblancos scored twice at home, without answer, to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League.
This year, Barcelona hoped for a treble, having already won LaLiga Santander and having reached the Copa del Rey final, but a shocking 4-0 defeat at Anfield knocked them out of the competition they haven't won since 2015.
mailbox
81
Philippe Coutinho will be sold in the summer. He is useless for Barcelona but for Liverpool he was quality. It really depends on the playing style and manager. Every forward has declined massively under Valverde except Messi. That's because there is no clear planning and every build up and attack goes through Messi.
Beickham
71
Barcelona: "Champions League will come back to the Camp Nou" Liverpool:
uptown
55
Hopefully things get better from here on because any worse and it will be just absolutely shambolic.
exolove
53
Busquets has been declining for almost 3 years now. Going from bad to worse each season
Pinocchi
47
In: De Jong De Ligt Greizmann New LB Promote Puig Neymar (if possible) Out: Suarez out Busquets to bench Pique to bench Coutinho Out
Kohmarz
33
The reason behind making Countinho from hero to zero is the coach, he was Iniesta replacement in midfield not Neymar’s. He changed Barca from an attacking team to defensive team, if he stay one more year at Barca then he will replace Messi with Pique and Messi will play as a full back. Messi played well I still support him and he is the one who brought smiles more than 100 times in our faces.