Mario Gomez

Bayern v Barcelona: Apocalypse or beginning of a new order?

You aren't a journalist if you don't speculate. So what if the speculation is about the world coming to an end after watching the world's best football club capitulate in a manner that might even shame the German defeat at Stalingrad?

As sports fans and observers, we are often prone to hyperbole, but that may be excused if the matter up for debate is whether modern football's most decorated and radiant epoch is entering its twilight zone. What we saw in Munich has been witnessed quite often this season: a clueless Barcelona, unable to switch to a Plan B. Why? Because it doesn't have one.

The philosophy that has helped the Catalans not just rule world football but also write their own bit of history is based on the fact that possession is supreme. But when that doesn't yield results, what can be done? Does that mean that all the pomp and show was eventually down to the genius of the Little Argentine? Certainly not as we have seen the contribution made by the likes of Xavi and Iniesta, two mid-field generals who have worked without showing any signs of fatigue over the last decade.

But time stops for no one. The chinks can are evident now as the generals have started to slow down. The spark is missing and an unfit Messi could do little as the Bavarians marauded his team in front of a home crowd hungry for European success....