Is Barcelona still the best team in the world? A better question might be: Is Spain still the best soccer nation in the world?
These questions have started to circulate after Spanish sides were embarrassed internationally in the last few months. First came the Spanish national team's 1-1 draw to Finland in the World Cup qualifiers. While the team eventually pulled off a win against France, the draw against the inferior nation started creating doubts.
However, the controversy really got started when Barcelona and Real Madrid were embarrassed by German sides Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions league semifinals.
Real Madrid regained some dignity after a 4-1 loss by winning 2-0 in front of its fans in the second leg. However, Barcelona was destroyed 7-0 in two legs against Bayern. The first was a 4-0 defeat that got many questioning the future of Spanish soccer. The Catalan side responded that one game could not determine the future of the spot. However, the second defeat, a 3-0 loss at home, settled the score decisively. Despite controlling possession, Barcelona was limited in space and never really put up much of an attacking threat.
Despite the poor finish in the most important competition this season, star player Lionel Messi feels that his team needs to move on and continue its play.
"We can't lose our heads. We can't change our style of play," Messi said in an interview with Television Azteca. "You can't always win... We've been playing our brand of football for years and managers and teams have studied it. We have to stay calm and focus on next year."
Despite Messi's optimism, Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is not as positive. "We are not the best any more, other teams are," he recently stated.
Is Barcelona still the best in the world? Has Germany surpassed Spain in world soccer?
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