Would FC Barcelona Still Be In The Champions League If Their High-Performing Defence Was Available?

There is a growing belief that FC Barcelona might still be in the Champions League if their current defensive back line had been available when they crashed out of the group phase in late 2022.

Europe’s premier club competition’s knockout phase kicked off on Tuesday, with Barca sentenced to playing in its inferior cousin the Europa League on Thursday.

For the second year running and second time under head coach Xavi Hernandez, the Catalans crashed out of the UCL after failing to advance out of a group also featuring Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and Viktoria Plzen.

Victories over the latter-mentioned Czech minnows were the only ones that Barca mustered as they lost both matches to Bayern and one to Inter while drawing another against the Italians at Camp Nou that effectively spelled their death sentence.

Yet in recent weeks, head coach Xavi Hernandez and president Joan Laporta have suggested that had the current, stingy defensive line of Alejandro Balde/Jordi Alba, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Jules Kounde all been available and fit for selection, Barca’s plight could have been different.

It all started to go wrong when Araujo suffered an adductor tendon injury in September. Though he played in the 2-0 defeat to Bayern in Munich with Christensen by his side, he was later made to made to watch from the sidelines for three months and never featured with the Dane again.

In the 1-0 defeat to Inter, Christensen starred alongside Eric Garcia, who is now likely to be sold in the summer. With Christensen then picking up an injury himself, Garcia’s performance in the 3-3 draw against Inter Milan had much to do with his demotion to being a fourth choice defender and pretty much sent his partner that night, Gerard Pique, into retirement.

In the 3-0 loss to Bayern at Camp Nou, Kounde moved into the center with Marcos Alonso as Hector Bellerin delivered a disasterclass while run ragged by Sadio Mane.

How things have changed since then, though. With Araujo returning after the World Cup, the Blaugrana have since opened up an eleven point lead at the top of the La Liga table and also through to the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

They have let in just seven goals all term with Marc-Andre ter Stegen keeping 16 clean sheets, and it is not foolish to dream about what could have been.

Maybe they would have taken Inter Milan’s place instead, and would be looking forward to a UCL last 16 tie against Porto as opposed to the playoff with United.

Calmer heads have called for a reality check, however. With United no mugs and already improving drastically under Erik ten Hag, it has been suggested that Thursday is Barca’s real test before people get carried away pondering hypothetical situations that cannot be proven.