Barcelona were dismal in their draw against Athletic Club last night. They took home just one point from the vital clash, losing big names such as Frenkie de Jong and Pedri to injury in the process.
Keeping in mind the size of the occasion and the performance that Barcelona delivered, it was clear that the Blaugranas took a step back from their 4-0 win over Getafe last weekend. After all, they were all over the place and boasted little to no attacking threat on the night.
Xavi fuming on the sidelines
There was nothing inspiring about Barcelona’s performance at San Mames, and one look towards Xavi’s reactions on the bench would have told the whole story.
The manager was fuming with rage for most of the game last night, especially considering his team’s casual attitude during a golden chance.
With a win over Athletic Club, the Catalans could have closed down the gap with Real Madrid to just six points. After all, Carlo Ancelotti’s side dropped points to Valencia and gave Barcelona a golden chance to return to the title race.
As it has it, however, Barcelona dropped a stinker and did not show any attacking intent even towards the end of the game. Catalans’ manager was recorded swearing on the sidelines to captain Sergi Roberto over the lack of attacking intent in the team.
“Take it up the a**, man. Everybody take it up the a**, man. This is f**king bullshit. Shit on God,” he was heard shouting.
"🤬🤬🤬🤬"
— Fútbol en Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) March 3, 2024
El enfado de Xavi en San Mamés. #DeportePlus #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/gEbyiehacs
Captain disagrees
Speaking to the media after the dismal result, Barcelona goalkeeper and captain Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was quizzed about why the Blaugrana dressing room lacked motivation to step up. While his manager quite clearly felt the same, the veteran lashed out at the reporter posing the question and defended his position.
“It’s hard for me not to answer wrong. What this locker room does not lack is ambition and I don’t like people talking about this topic. No not at all. It couldn’t be and we tried until the end.”
With the UEFA Champions League coming up and two of the team’s finest midfielders likely to be unavailable, it remains to be seen if the team step up as defended by Ter Stegen.
