Martin Keown has named the signing Barcelona need to make to stand any chance 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 in the Champions League and will slip further down the pecking order following Wednesday’s European fixtures.
Barcelona were moments away from reaching the final last season but Flick’s side have not hit the same heights this term despite leading the La Liga title race.
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Keown in fact believes it is highly unlikely that Barca will go on to win the Champions League, especially if they do not sign a new defender to become more solid at 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 style of play. ‘They should control games far 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 watch for the neutral but I think the team with the best balance wins the Champions League this year and I don’t think that’s Barcelona.
‘Everything is too high, it doesn’t seem the norm but Hansi Flick plays this way. There’s times to drop off but this lot don’t do that and it feels like they’re gambling.
‘Look at the front six, there’s so much football talent, but defensively, sorry, you’re going to have to 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 brilliant to watch,’ he added. ‘They just play so high, so high.
‘If you’ve got pace you can really hurt this Barcelona side and that won’t change under the manager, that’s the big thing.
‘Can they win it? Yes, they can because they’ve got very, very good players. On their night they can beat anyone and they’re top of La Liga.
‘But I don’t think they will. If they play Arsenal, Arsenal would hurt them.’
Barcelona are still in contention for an automatic place in the knockout stages but would likely have to win both of their remaining games to do so.
The La Liga giants visit Slavia Prague next up before finishing 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 is a Bundesliga team which is very dynamic. We controlled the game but in the first half we made some wrong decisions. We got better.
‘We showed the team what we wanted at half-time, what space we needed and my team always knows what to do and they do it, so congratulations to my whole staff. My fellow coaches and my analysts did a great job.
‘It’s great to have Jules [Kounde] scoring and back because his talent and his mentality are so important.
‘We changed Lamine [Yamal] with 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 like it.
‘I was a player too! It’s fully acceptable – not a problem.’
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