Barcelona's defence not good enough to win the UEFA Champions League, says Joe Cole - 'They were carved open'
Updated 16/04/2025 at 15:50 GMT+1
TNT Sports experts Joe Cole and Owen Hargreaves claimed Barcelona's defensive frailties mean they are not good enough to win the UEFA Champions League this season. Hansi Flick's side lost 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening, but reached the semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate victory. Cole said they were "carved open" at the back, while Hargreaves questioned their high defensive line.
'Won't have enough to win it' - Barcelona showed 'frailties' against Dortmund, says Cole
Video credit: TNT Sports
TNT Sports expert Joe Cole believes Barcelona will not win the UEFA Champions League this season, because their defence is not good enough.
The Spanish giants squeezed through to their first semi-final in the competition for six years by beating Borussia Dortmund 5-3 on aggregate.
Leading 4-0 from the first leg, Hansi Flick's side were odds-on favourites to make it into the last four.
But their confidence was rocked by going 1-0 down on the night in just the 11th minute, when Serhou Guirassy netted from the penalty spot.
The striker would go on to complete his hat-trick at Signal Iduna Park, but the 3-1 success was not enough to progress.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Cole said the result highlighted the club's faults at the back.
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"I think Barcelona showed enough frailties tonight," he said. "I don't think they'll have enough to win it. There were enough times that they were carved open.
"I think that high line against Munich or Inter Milan in the next round will get them in trouble."
The result ended Barcelona's 24-game unbeaten run across all competitions.
They remain on course for the treble though, as they sit top of La Liga and through to the Copa del Rey final in Spain.
Their last European crown came a decade ago, when Luis Enrique's side defeated Juventus 3-1 in Berlin to lift the trophy.
Cole insisted this year's final comes too soon for Flick's young side - but thinks they can have high hopes of reaching the continental summit in 2026.
"All the credit goes to Dortmund," he continued. "From the Barcelona perspective, the frailties that I saw, I think they are frailties that are going to be here.
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Highlights: Barcelona squeeze past Dortmund after Guirassy hat-trick rattles Catalans
Video credit: TNT Sports
"And for these young lads in the Barcelona team, who I think will go very, very close and maybe win the Champions League next year or the year after, I think what they'll learn from this is how European football can flip between legs.
"You're 4-0 up, you're strolling. It's only half-time. A goal can change. Teams can change. It's something that you have to manage. Young players will learn a lot from tonight.
"I think [Wojciech] Szczesny showed a little bit of a rashness early on. I think [Marc-Andre] ter Stegen comes back in for the semi-final.
"That strengthens them. I still think Inter Milan or Bayern Munich, playing this team in a semi-final, will win the game."
Barca will find out their semi-final opponents when the two aforementioned clubs meet at the San Siro on Wednesday.
The Italian giants lead 2-1 from the first leg, thanks to Davide Frattesi's late winner in Germany.
Both those teams have been free-scoring in front of goal this season.
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Barcelona 'will learn a lot from tonight' says Cole
Video credit: TNT Sports
And TNT Sports expert Owen Hargreaves thinks that means they will be licking their lips at the prospect of coming up against Barcelona's defence.
"You have to credit Dortmund," he said. "They created a lot of good chances over the two ties.
"We said Barca play this way for a reason. They play that high line. Teams are going to create chances against them.
"But I don't think Hansi Flick really cares, because they score so many goals going the other way.
"Joe's right. They looked a little bit vulnerable today. I think looking at the semi-final, teams will look at that and think we can get at this defence."
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