Martin Keown has named the signing Barcelona have to make to face any likelihood of winning the Champions League.
Hansi Flick’s side are having a mixed Champions League campaign, taking ten points from their first six games in Europe.
The Spanish champions were thumped 3-0 by Chelsea last month but responded with a much-needed 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday.
Despite the victory, which was inspired by Jules Kounde’s second-half brace, Barca remain just 14th within the Champions League and can slip further down the pecking order following Wednesday’s European fixtures.
Barcelona were moments away from reaching the ultimate last season but Flick’s side haven’t hit the identical heights this term despite leading the La Liga title race.
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Keown in reality believes it is very unlikely that Barca will go on to win the Champions League, especially in the event that they don’t sign a brand new defender to grow to be more solid on the back.
Barcelona have conceded 11 goals in six Champions League games, with Flick’s notoriously high line producing mixed results against dangerous opponents.
‘It feels unnecessary,’ Arsenal legend Keown said on TNT Sports when asked about Barcelona’s attacking variety of play. ‘They need to control games much better with possession play being the signature of that club.
‘Even Frankfurt had two or three runs through on goal tonight. It’s great to observe for the neutral but I feel the team with the very best balance wins the Champions League this yr and I don’t think that’s Barcelona.
‘All the things is just too high, it doesn’t seem the norm but Hansi Flick plays this fashion. There’s times to drop off but this lot don’t do that and it appears like they’re gambling.
‘Have a look at the front six, there’s a lot football talent, but defensively, sorry, you’re going to must bring someone in there to win the Champions League.’
Robbie Savage also questioned Barcelona’s Champions League credentials after the narrow win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
‘They lost to the semis last season and it was good to observe,’ he added. ‘They simply play so high, so high.
‘If you’ve got pace you possibly can really hurt this Barcelona side and that won’t change under the manager, that’s the massive thing.
‘Can they win it? Yes, they’ll because they’ve got very, very good players. On their night they’ll beat anyone and they’re top of La Liga.
‘But I don’t think they’ll. In the event that they play Arsenal, Arsenal would hurt them.’
Barcelona are still in contention for an automatic place within the knockout stages but would likely must win each of their remaining games to accomplish that.
The La Liga giants visit Slavia Prague next up before ending their Champions League group campaign at home to Copenhagen.
Assessing his side’s performance against Frankfurt, Flick said: ‘I wasn’t surprised by the match or our opponents.
‘The Champions League is different. This can be a Bundesliga team which could be very dynamic. We controlled the sport but in the primary half we made some improper decisions. We got higher.
‘We showed the team what we wanted at half-time, what space we wanted and my team at all times knows what to do and so they do it, so congratulations to my whole staff. My fellow coaches and my analysts did an amazing job.
‘It’s great to have Jules [Kounde] scoring and back because his talent and his mentality are so necessary.
‘We modified Lamine [Yamal] with just a few minutes to go because he was booked and it was late – if he was a bit annoyed, then I fully understand and I prefer it.
‘I used to be a player too! It’s fully acceptable – not an issue.’
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