Barca must recover identity following Champions League horror show – Setien

Quique Setien said Barcelona must recover their identity after suffering a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League as the embattled head coach heads towards the exit door.

Barca conceded eight goals in a game for the first time since 1946 as the LaLiga giants crashed to an embarrassing quarter-final loss in Lisbon on Friday.

Lionel Messi’s Barca, who trailed 4-1 at half-time, plunged into crisis, having already been dethroned by bitter rivals Real Madrid in LaLiga this term.

Barca defender Gerard Pique called for “changes at all levels” after Barca lost in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the fourth time in five seasons.

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— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 14, 2020

With Setien – who only replaced Ernesto Valverde in January – reportedly set to be sacked, the former Real Betis boss said: “Pique is a footballer who has been here all his life and I have only been here for six or eight months, the reflection that he has made makes sense but I am not the best person to talk about this.

“Barcelona must recover its identity and overcome this, and I do not know if many or few but it must change things. This reflection made by a player who has been here all his life indicates something clearly.”

“Right now there is no constructive message that can serve, the reality is that we are all deeply frustrated,” added Setien.

“This is extremely painful for the fans, and for us who are professionals it also hurts a lot but we have to assimilate it. We must think that the future will be better and we will have to recover this image that we have left today.”