Champions League: Barcelona eliminated from the Champions League; five reasons why they did not qualify

Earlier, Barcelona lost 3-0 to Bayern Munich, eliciting fans' outrage. They lost 3-0 at Camp Nou, securing only four points from five games in Group C.

So second-ranked Inter remained six points clear of Barcelona, now headed to the Europa League. 

Barcelona had secured new signings worth £150million in the latest summer transfer. They spent £40million on Robert Lewandowski alone, so a deep run in the Champions League was expected from the Blaugrana. 

Their early departure last season was foreseen due to Lionel Messi's exit and economic shortcomings. Still, even with Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Christensen, Marcos Alonso, Kessie, and Bellern in the picture, Barcelona couldn't tread far. 

There could be many reasons which caused their downfall. So here are five reasons why the La Liga giants' couldn't last long in Europe's biggest football league. 

Barcelona is still a team rebuilding 

Although Barcelona started strong, Xavi Hernandez's side still lacks form. Because of a bulk shake-up in the squad, the team is still in its developing stages. 

During their match against Bayern Munich, they were incapable of scoring. They had a few chances to turn that around in the first half, but significant blunders allowed the Bavarians to take the lead.

An unfortunate draw that reduced their chances of qualifying

Barcelona was held to a 3-3 draw by Inter Milan, which worked against the Blaugrana's bid in the Champions League. They were named in a tough draw that included three European champions. Inter Milan was the rugged contender in the third group, and Bayern Munich was the fan favourite. 

Referee angle 

Besides shortcomings in team-building, Barcelona's misery is a result of other factors like the poor refereeing witnessed in Milan. Although the repercussions were not immense, they sabotaged Barcelona's campaign. 

Lack of solid defense

The Barcelona defense made severe errors that killed their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages. Their 3-3 draw against Inter Milan is an excellent testament to defensive play weaknesses, including individual errors. 

A campaign packed with injuries

During their matches against Inter, Barcelona was without Jukes Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, and Bellerin. They are vital players in Xavi Hernandez's side, which might have made fewer errors otherwise. 

Since Barcelona crashed out in the semifinals against Liverpool in 2018-19, the former has seen chiefly disappointment. They lost in the quarterfinals to Bayern in 2019-2020 and departed in the round of 16 against Paris Saint Germain the year after. 

They were knocked out of the group stages in the next two seasons. When Xavi was asked about his team's ill-fated run, he said, "I understand everything and our inability to be effective."

"We were at the level to deserve something more, but life goes on and I think we will have to move on," he added.