Bayern Munich 8-2 Barcelona: 5 Hits and Flops as Bavarians obliterate dismal Blaugrana in historic defeat | UEFA Champions League 2019-20

#3 Flop - Sergi Roberto, Barcelona

Sergi Roberto was one of the worst players on the pitch

Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto was absolutely massacred in the first half against Bayern Munich and looked completely out of his depth against the Bavarian press. Roberto struggled to keep the ball in Barcelona's midfield and barely played a part in the Catalans' build-up play.

Sergi Roberto foolishly gave the ball away to Serge Gnabry in the first half and Barcelona paid the price as Ivan Perisic lashed his shot into the back of the net. The Catalan midfielder was taken off at half-time after a dismal showing and will be disappointing performance.

There was much speculation about Barcelona's starting eleven and formation prior to this game. It is safe to say that Sergi Roberto did not do himself any favours with his performance against Bayern Munich today.

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#2 Hit - Thomas Muller, Bayern Munich

Thomas Muller was at his brilliant best

'Raumdeuter' is arguably the only word that can be used to describe Thomas Muller and today's game is the perfect testament. Thomas Muller was magically everywhere on the pitch and his intelligence and work-rate choked the life out of Barcelona's superstars before they knew what had hit them.

The German forward set the tempo for Bayern Munich with his opening goal and scored his side's fourth to put the game to bed in the first half. Muller teased and tormented Barcelona's defensive shape with his movement and picked up yet another assist for Barcelona loanee Philippe Coutinho late in the second half.

Thomas Muller was asked to compare today's game and Germany's 7-1 win over Brazil: pic.twitter.com/JkSMXpoZvF

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 14, 2020

Thomas Muller's renaissance under Hansi Flick has been nothing short of spectacular. The German has excelled in his free role at the club and has established himself as a Bayern Munich legend.

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#1 Flop - Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona

Barcelona v Bayern Munich - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final

While analysts will continue to dissect this defeat in the coming weeks, it is evident that Barcelona's stunning implosion resulted from its sheer inability to play past a suffocating Bayern Munich press. The Catalans rely heavily on Marc-Andre ter Stegen to serve as their twelfth outfield player and the German shot-stopper's ball-playing abilities abandoned him today.

Had Bayern Munich been slightly more efficient with its finishing, the result would have been a cricket score. Ter Stegen gave the ball away on several occasions in the first half and needlessly put enormous pressure on his Barcelona teammates in his own penalty area.

Manuel Neuer is also validating those who think he’s still above Ter Stegen. Even Ter Stegen’s footwork has been extremely weak. I guess Rummenigge was right. pic.twitter.com/9PdP3eSuZX

— Diego A. Pinzón (@PinzonDiego) August 14, 2020

While the German star could do nothing to stop most of the finishes, his mistakes played a massive role in Bayern Munich's dominance on the pitch. The Barcelona goalkeeper had the worst outing of his career today against a Bayern Munich side that refused to let him breathe.

With Manuel Neuer carrying out his duties with consummate ease at the other end, Ter Stegen's push to be Germany's first-choice goalkeeper is now a thing of the past.

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