It was a familiar result in Munich, if from unfamiliar faces and teams. That is why Bayern Munich’s 2-0 win over Barcelona was relatively difficult to read into, if still somewhat instructive, and certainly interesting.
What most stood out was that these were two teams trying to find a sense of themselves as much as the goal, which made for an occasionally scrappy game but an entertaining one. That was why Xavi’s post-match comment, that Barcelona are at the start of something but Bayern are a canny - read experienced - side, was somewhat misplaced.
