In a game that was framed as Barça’s ticket to the top spot in LaLiga, Granada pulled a massive shock as they sunk the Catalans in the Camp Nou. Ronald Koeman, Jordi Alba, and Frenkie de Jong all spoke after the 2-1 loss.
Here is what Ronald Koeman had to say:
On if he blames his players
“I don’t have to blame them for anything. We did the maximum. You had to be at the top in terms of concentration. Seeing the two goals, I think we left space and we should have cut the ball. In those two or three plays, we didn’t do well defensively.”
On LaLiga no longer being in their hands
“It is a hard blow, we are disappointed. And, starting tomorrow, we have to go ahead and try to win the last five games in order to be champions. But this is the same for us as it is for others.”
On his red card
“I do not get it. According to Carles Naval, I disrespected the fourth official. I did not say anything bad about the fourth official. I haven’t insulted him or anything. It’s incredible that they give me a red card, but if he wants to be the star of the night, thank you.”
On what he thinks will be in the referee’s report
“Let’s see, I don’t know. I don’t know what they are going to put in the minutes. But if they say things that I haven’t said, I’ll have to do something.”
On what he was angry about when he was speaking to the fourth official
“There were some plays and he has answered me in a way that he has disrespected me. If you don’t insult, he doesn’t understand what disrespect is. Again, I don’t get it.”
It was revealed after the match that, according to the referee’s report, Koeman had told the fourth official “What a personality”.
On why the players’ body language changed in the second half
“The 1-1 changed the game. We tried to continue, but we did not create many opportunities afterwards. They closed well, with a lot of players behind.”
On what this loss means
“It is a very hard blow because we no longer depend on ourselves. We have to raise morale. Sunday’s game is crucial for me until the end of the season. It is very important to win again on Sunday. It is vital to our aspirations to try to achieve the championship. To think about what we have failed and to be able to fight to win. Putting energy, learning and improving to keep going. The stakes are still high. No team has an easy game. There are still possibilities. We have to analyze it and move on and prepare for this Sunday.”
Here is what Jordi Alba had to say:
On how to digest this loss
“It’s a screwed up day. We tried until the end but we were not successful. It was a unique opportunity, but now we no longer depend on us. They shot practically twice and they scored two goals. I think there are games we have to kill earlier. We knew we had to score another goal. It’s a very tough blow.”
On how the team can overcome this loss
“By winning the five remaining games. We are having a good year but this game has escaped us.”
On the mental toll this loss will have on the players
“We will be as before this game. I repeat. We missed scoring the second goal, but they scored two goals in two attacks. We have to keep working and try to get up from this.”
Here is what Frenkie de Jong had to say:
On Granada’s second goal
“When it was 1-1 we lost our position and Granada, from a cross, ended up scoring the goal.”
On what Barça need to do know
“I don’t know if we win all five games we will be champions, first we have to think about winning all five games and then we will see.”
On how the game went
“After 1-0 we had the game under control, but afterwards, they shot twice on goal and scored two goals.”
On the team’s feelings about the loss
“We are very sad, tomorrow we will be too, but then it will be time to get up.”
