[ad_1]
Barca had simply suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to 10-man Osasuna, its first on house soil since November 2018, and if that wasn’t dangerous sufficient needed to abdomen the considered bitter rival Actual holding aloft the La Liga crown that had simply been prized from its grasp.
The Catalan group has been in turmoil each on and off the pitch for a while now, so maybe a efficiency and defeat like this one ought to now not come as a shock.
Lionel Messi, the membership’s captain and talisman, reduce a annoyed determine on the pitch. A lot so, that he threw his arm up in annoyance when scoring Barcelona’s equalizer within the second half, quite than celebrating.
“We did not anticipate to complete on this approach, but it surely sums up the yr for us,” Messi instructed Spanish tv after the match.
“Now we have been an erratic and weak group, who could be overwhelmed with sufficient depth and enthusiasm. Now we have misplaced numerous factors which we should not have carried out and been very inconsistent.
“We must be self-critical, beginning with the gamers but additionally throughout the whole membership. We’re Barcelona and we’re obliged to win each sport.
“The sensation on this group is that it tries, however that it can not get the job carried out. Right this moment within the first half they have been higher than we have been and it appears we’ve got to fall behind to react like we tried to do within the second half.”
Messi’s free-kick simply after the hour mark had canceled out Jose Arnaiz’s opening purpose for Osasuna, however Roberto Torres shocked the host within the fourth minute of added time by rounding off a swift counterattack.
Actual Madrid’s victory in opposition to Villarreal meant even a win for Barcelona would not have taken the title race to the ultimate day, however the contrasting performances — particularly because the restart following the enforced break as a result of coronavirus pandemic — mark an enormous turnaround in fortunes for Spain’s two prime golf equipment.
This time final season, Barcelona was celebrating its twenty sixth La Liga title whereas Actual Madrid languished in third place, 19 factors off the tempo. In simply over a yr, Zidane’s aspect has closed that hole and surpassed Barcelona as undoubtedly one of the best group in Spain.
Quique Setien, who was in cost at Actual Betis the final time Barcelona misplaced on the Camp Nou, was introduced in at the beginning of the yr to convey some pleasure again to the membership; as a substitute, it seems he’s already preventing to retain his job.
Whereas Actual Madrid went on a 10-game profitable run, Barcelona has struggled for outcomes since La Liga restarted. However maybe extra importantly, it has struggled to search out an identification underneath Setien.
The coach has at all times been bullish about his place, however admitted after Thursday’s defeat that he did not know whether or not he would stay in cost for Barcelona’s upcoming Champions League second leg match in opposition to Napoli.
“I’m accountable for our scenario, as I’m the supervisor of the group,” he instructed reporters. “I hope to be the Barcelona coach within the Champions League, however I do not know. I agree with Messi on some issues. Now we have be self-critical and if we aren’t, it is going to price us in something we need to do.
“Now we have tried to enhance throughout these months that we’ve got been right here, [but] there are issues which have price us and [overshadowed the] many issues that we’ve got carried out nicely.
“All of it comes right down to success, at present the opponent shot 3 times and scored two targets, we had fifteen photographs and we weren’t proper.”
Barcelona was held to a 1-1 draw by Napoli in Naples and holds the small benefit of an away purpose going into the second leg on August 8, however Messi is aware of the dimensions of the duty at hand.
“I stated it a while in the past, that taking part in like this we had no probability of profitable the Champions League,” he stated. “It seems we did not even have sufficient to win la Liga. We have to take a breather, take some air in and clear out minds of all that has occurred since December.”
“Taking part in like this we are going to lose in opposition to Napol. Now we have to begin from zero within the Champions League and blame ourselves for what went unsuitable.”
[ad_2]
Source link
