After yet another disappointing night in the Champions League against Benfica, that resulted in a 3-0 defeat for the Blaugranas. Ronald Koeman, Frenkie De Jong, Sergio Busquets, and Marc-André Ter Stegen spoke with the press.
Here’s what Koeman had to say:
On the game:
“The result is hard to accept. I think what we have seen on the pitch does not reflect the result, even though we were losing, we played well until 2-0. We have had four clear opportunities. We did not take any and they scored three.”
“The culprit, in the end, is always the coach. Although I think the approach was good because we were superior up until 2-0. Then, we had problems. However, we have not been inferior, rather have been inferior in our effectiveness in front of goal.
On the defensive performance being ‘soft’:
“No, maybe in the last 15 minutes. But they have a lot of quality, We have to defend. Physically some teams are better than us. That’s how it is.”
On Pique:
“He almost had two yellows in a row. With Frenkie, we had a player with a better ball output.”
On if he feels supported:
“I am only going to give my opinion about the team, and my players. I feel supported by my players; for the others, I don’t know.”
On his future:
“I can’t say anything about my future because I don’t know what the club is planning. It is not in my hands and we will see.”
On if he has hit his lowest at the club:
“I think that, for any coach, it is always difficult if you lose two Champions League games in a row. You have to be realistic. We are in a very delicate situation. I always try my best. You have to give the team time to change things. We were inferior physically and in speed. But we have to play in our way, with the ball and always creating opportunities. We have done that, but if you don’t score, you don’t win.”
This concludes Koeman’s press conference.
Here’s what Frenkie had to say:
On the game:
“They scored the first goal very early. In the first half, we did not play a bad game. We created opportunities but could not score. After the second goal, the game opened too much and we did not play well.”
On Koeman:
“I don’t think changing the coach will solve anything.”
On the Champions League:
“There are still games left and if we win the ones that remain, there is a chance. I am confident that we will go through. We must keep fighting and stay united. The only escape to situations like this is when you work hard and come together as a team.”
“We have lost and could not score. We are in a very complicated situation. The players are trying everything, working hard in training, on the field. But today was not our day, that is clear.”
This concludes Frenkie’s press conference.
Here’s what Busquets had to say:
On the game;
“It is difficult to explain it. We were good, we created several opportunities but did not score. When that happens, the rival takes advantage.”
On Koeman:
“The easiest thing is to throw Koeman out but we all have responsibilities. Barca is in a very critical situation.”
Analyzing the game:
“When we go high up the pitch and lose the ball. It becomes 1 vs 1 for them. The second and third goals have been like this. We only have two days left. We have to think about climbing up the table. Both games against Dynamo Kyiv will be important and some results must favor us. There is a lot left and we have to try and be positive.”
This concludes Busquets’ press conference.
Here’s what Ter Stegen had to say:
On Koeman:
“A change of coach? It’s not my thing. We must be united to get out of this situation.”
On the game:
“I don’t think about the past, I analyze game by game on things to improve. It was a difficult game like any in the Champions League. It’s time to get up and hopefully things will turn out better for us over the weekend.”
“The early goal made it very complicated. When you do it, it is amazing but when the opposition does it, it’s not so good. I don’t think the intensity was bad. I feel bad about the situation, it is very difficult to accept it.”
“We should have pushed a bit more after their first goal. In the end, it got even more complicated. Unfortunately, we did not take our chances. We left a lot of space behind and they took advantage.”
This concludes Ter Stegen’s press conference.
