Former Barcelona star Thierry Henry has expressed doubts over the club’s ability to win the UEFA Champions League trophy with their current setup. His comments came in the aftermath of Barcelona’s thrilling 3-3 draw against Club Brugge at Jan Breydel Stadium on Wednesday, November 5.
The match began dramatically, with Nicolo Tresoldi giving Club Brugge an early lead in the sixth minute. However, Ferran Torres quickly restored parity just two minutes later. Club Brugge regained the advantage when Carlos Forbes scored in the 17th minute, but Barcelona fought back again, with Lamine Yamal leveling the score in the 61st minute. Forbes then put the hosts ahead once more two minutes later.
An own goal from Christos Tzolis in the 77th minute secured a draw for Barcelona. In the dying moments of the game, Club Brugge thought they had snatched a winner through Romero Vermant in the 90th minute, but the goal was controversially disallowed due to a foul against goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Following the match, Thierry Henry criticized Barcelona’s defensive performances on CBS Sports Golazo, stating, “The coordination [in defence] is so bad. You can’t win the Champions League like this, it’s very difficult. It’s this game [against Club Brugge], it’s against Paris Saint-Germain, last year it was against Benfica, then it was the Clasico, then it was Inter.”
Henry, who has a rich history with the club, said, “As we all know, I played for Arsenal, I played for Juve, I won a lot of stuff at Barcelona, for me to say that—it pains me to say that because I don’t want to talk about my old club like that. But you have to call a spade a spade. You can’t carry on defending like this, every time hoping to score three or four goals. In the modern era of football, you can’t defend like that.”
Currently, Barcelona sit 11th in their Champions League group, having recorded two wins, one draw, and one defeat from four matches played.
### Hansi Flick Stands by His System Despite Defensive Issues
Despite the recent draw and defensive struggles, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick remains confident in his tactical approach. The German manager guided the team to a historic treble and a Champions League semi-final appearance last season but has faced criticism this campaign over the club’s high defensive line and defensive lapses.
Speaking after the draw against Club Brugge (h/t Metro), Flick said, “Last season, we wouldn’t have conceded that first goal. We don’t have the same confidence when playing the offside trap. We won’t change our way of defending.”
He added, “In midfield, we didn’t press well, and it was difficult to defend against their players with pace. We need to analyse the draw and see where we can improve.”
### Upcoming Fixtures
Barcelona will next face Celta Vigo away in LaLiga on Sunday, November 9, before the international break. They currently hold second place in the league standings, five points behind leaders Real Madrid.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/news-it-pains-say-i-don-t-want-talk-old-club-like-that-thierry-henry-shares-worrying-claim-barcelona-3-3-draw
