Barcelona bear worse bruises from the Champions League than those left by Paris Saint-Germain’s pummelling in their borrowed Montjuic home, though the sight of their ex, Ousmane Dembélé, smiling at the end, his splendid night’s work complete, made this one hurt in new ways.
Barça’s rosier view will be that, after successive exits at the group stage, this season’s run to the Champions League quarter-finals marks an uptick. “We have put together a respectable Champions League,” Xavi, the head coach, said, “and we’ll be back next season.”
Xavi won’t — at least not in this job, assuming he maintains his commitment to step down next month, an announcement he made in January, fatigued and aware that confidence in him from his employers was waning. A
