"It's as if there's four dummies just stood there" - Alan Shearer calls out Barcelona's' crazy' tactics in 3-0 loss to Chelsea

Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer has criticized Barcelona for playing a high line in their 3-0 loss to Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League. He went on to claim that the defensive strategy was easy for Chelsea to penetrate and that it likewise rendered the defenders ineffective.

Speaking to Amazon Prime after the game, Shearer complained about Barcelona's failure to repel Chelsea's attack. He said (via Barca Blaugranes):

"I’ve seen some offside traps in my time, but this is absolutely crazy it really is. It’s as if there’s four dummies just stood there and saying “how do you want to do it guys?. It’s hard to believe at times, I’m lost for words at how easy it’s been for Chelsea to get through and how crazy at times they’re playing it."

During the encounter, Hansi Flick's side were dominated by Chelsea, who were decent in attack and defense. Enzo Maresca's men leveraged the pace and brilliance of players like Pedro Neto and Estevao to penetrate Barca's defense.

Meanwhile, the LaLiga giants didn't seem to get their offside trap right as they were defensively exposed on numerous occasions. A situation that arguably contributed to their ugly defeat.

Thus, Barcelona will have to win all of their remaining games if they intend to secure direct qualification to the quarterfinals of the competition. They have registered seven points from five games and are ranked 15th in this term's UCL table.

"Playing with a man down affected us" - Marcus Rashford on Barcelona's loss to Chelsea in the UCL

Chelsea FC v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5 - Source: Getty

Barcelona's winger Marcus Rashford has revealed that Ronald Araujo's red card contributed to their defeat to Chelsea. He added that the squad needs to improve in their upcoming game in the competition.

In an interview after the 3-0 loss to the Blues, Rashford said (via Barca Universal):

"At half time we tried to regroup and analyze what was happening, but playing with a man down affected us a lot. We need to improve in the next game."

Hansi Flick's side arguably failed to create clear-cut chances despite having numerous experienced players in the encounter against Chelsea. However, they have a decent opportunity to rewrite their wrongs when they take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the UCL on Tuesday, December 9.