Opinion: What do Gerard Pique’s post-match comments reveal about Barcelona?

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In truth, no one can be surprised that Barcelona didn’t come out on top against Bayern Munich, but it is, perhaps, the manner of the defeat that will stick in the craw.

For example, for the first time ever in the Champions League, the Catalans failed to have a single shot on target.

They were moribund as an attacking force from the first minute and, frankly, never looked like scoring.

In fact, the only time in Tuesday night’s match when they looked vaguely threatening was when Ronald Koeman sent on a handful of the youngsters in the squad.

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They at least played with the lack of fear expected from teenagers being given their big chance to impress.

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Though he stopped short of criticising his team-mates, Gerard Pique’s post-match comments were telling.

“Bayern are really solid and we are who we are. It is what it is,” he was quoted as saying by Sport.

“At the end, we had a lot of kids on. We’re Barca and I don’t want to make excuses, though. We will see at the end of the season.”

Hardly the fighting talk expected from one of the team captains in the post-Messi era.

It’s as if one of Spain’s big two have given up already, and with Koeman doing his best to shatter any sort of relationship with president, Joan Laporta, this might well be another disaster of a season for the blaugranes.

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