FC Barcelona's Europa League Voyage - The Silver Linings

Thursday night football it is. The last time Barcelona failed to advance from the Champions League knockouts, seven current first team Barcelona players weren't even born yet. This isn't were Barcelona belong and we need to get out of this situation soon. Nevertheless, as Xavi said, "This is a new beginning, a turning point". The Champions League is definitely the competition Barcelona want to compete in, but a few months in the Europe League wouldn't be a disaster. To burst the clouds of disappointment, here are seven ways in which the Europa League could be a blessing in disguise for Barcelona.

Winning Mentality

Let's face it, Barcelona are not in the position to compete for the big titles. Despite the fact that few years in transition is what the team needs, keeping the winning mentality intact is essential. The Europa League is the perfect competition for just that. Even though Barcelona do have a shot at domestic silverware, winning in Europe would be a huge boost.

Competitiveness

Winning the Europa League will not be an easy task whatsoever. There are quite a few great teams in the Europa League including Napoli, Atalanta and AC Milan who are currently just a few points off the top of Serie A. La Liga top four contenders, Real Betis, Sevilla and Real Sociedad also pose a threat in the competition. RB Leipzig and Dortmund are two more teams who could easily be in the Champions League knockout stages. Winning the Europa League will be a much bigger statement than many could imagine.

Ticket to the Champions League

Top four in La Liga is for from guaranteed to Barcelona. Champions League qualification will be a tough task and Barcelona could easily find themselves out of the top four come the end of the season. Winning the Europa League would then be key for Barcelona to way their way into Europe's elite competition. Champions League qualification through La Liga will require consistent performances, while the Europa League crown depends really on a few important games.

The Knockout Pressure

Barcelona in recent years have succumbed under pressure, especially in the Champions League. The players are practically broken due to being on the receiving side of comebacks and suffering heavy defeats. The last ten defeats Barcelona have suffered in the champions league have been defeats by at least three goal margins. Xavi will have to instill confidence into the players and there's no better to test this out with winnable but not guaranteed knockout games in the Europa League.

Destiny?

The last time Barcelona had to settle for Europe's second premier competition was back in 2003/04 when they finished sixth in La Liga under Van Gaal, who left halfway through the season. This season, Koeman was sacked halfway through the Champions League group stage and can be blamed for the downfall. These are two similar dark times in recent Barcelona history. The likes of Puyol, Ronaldinho and Xavi were playing in the Europa League. However, the next season saw Messi being introduced to the Barcelona team and the rest is history. This Europa League campaign might just be the beginning of end of this crisis.

No Messi Reunion

Believe it or not, Messi has become the 'M' word according to certain Catalan media. Despite still holding a place in the hearts of all culers, Barcelona vs Messi wouldn't have been a good look. If Barcelona did make the Champions League knockouts, there could have been the possibility of facing Messi in a PSG kit later on.

Lessons Learnt? Finally?

Rome. Anfield. Lisbon. We thought Barcelona had rock bottom quite a few times and we couldn't sink any lower. Nevertheless, we did. Europa League has to be a wake up call for Barcelona, including the players and management. Barcelona are nowhere close to competitive and this if this is what it takes to remind the club of it, so be it. Fans themselves need to start understanding the situation and stop blaming individuals at this point. Get ready for a physical and mental makeover.

There you have it, seven possible benefits that Barcelona could incur from the Europa League journey they are about to embark upon. Comment down below what other positives you could possibly think off, share the content and why not check out my five key takeaways from Xavi's first game in-charge of Barcelona. Thanks for stopping by, I hope to see you back soon and remember it's more than a blog.