Barcelona Vice-Captain Willing To Be Replaced By Younger Players After 'Disgraceful' Defeat To Bayern

Barcelona vice-captain Gerard Pique revealed his devastation over their record-breaking defeat to Bayern Munich, suggesting structural rebuilding and an exit from Barca.

Barcelona faced a series of roadblocks in La Liga this season. Heading into the Champions League, the Catalans kept a positive mindset and managed to get past Napoli in the second leg. However, the narrative of Barca’s eventful season drastically changed in the quarter-finals of UCL after German rival Bayern Munich handed them a record-breaking 8-2 defeat Friday at Estadio da Luz stadium.

The humiliating loss saw Barcelona having its first trophy-less season at Camp Nou since 2007-2008. The blowout defeat also marked the first time Barca has been beaten by six goals since 1951.

Speaking after the match, Pique described their Champions League elimination a “disgrace.” The 33-year-old Barcelona veteran defender urged club bosses to initiate a major rebuilding after emphasizing that this wasn’t the first time Barca had dealt with such a shameful defeat.

"It was a horrible game, terrible, disgrace is the word," Pique told Movistar via ESPN. "You cannot compete like that in Europe. And it's not the first or second time it's happened to us."

"It's tough and I hope it serves for something. We all have to reflect. The club needs changes," he added. "I am not speaking about the coach or players or singling anyone out. Structurally the club needs all type of changes because this isn't the first time."

Pique is serious about his call for Barcelona to resolve its issues. In fact, he even said that he is willing to be replaced by younger players if it comes down to it.

"No one is indispensable. I'm not," Pique pointed out. "I'll go if new blood has to come in and change this dynamic because we've hit rock bottom. We all have to reflect internally and decide what's best for the club, which is the most important thing. This was unacceptable for a club like Barcelona."

Indeed, age took its toll on Barcelona’s long and tiring 2019/20 season. The average age of the Catalans’ starting lineup against Bayern was over 29 years old, including Pique who is now 33.

Ahead of the quarter-finals, many believed that it would be a close match considering two of the greatest players in the world, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, will go head-to-head.

However, it ended up a one-sided match and neither of the two stood out. Instead, it was Thomas Muller who stole the show and led the Germans to the Champions League semi-finals.