SM
Ipswich vs. Man United: 12 hrs 26 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Lionel Messi brands Barcelona "weak and vulnerable"

:Headline: Lionel Messi brands Barcelona 'weak and vulnerable': ID:406887: from db_amp
The Catalan giants surrendered their LaLiga title to rivals Real Madrid on Thursday night.

Lionel Messi believes "weak and vulnerable" Barcelona must improve quickly if they are to have any chance in the Champions League next month.

The Catalan giants surrendered their LaLiga title to rivals Real Madrid on Thursday night, with their 30-game unbeaten home league run ending in the process after a 2-1 loss to Osasuna.

While Real have not dropped a single point since the league's resumption after the coronavirus shutdown, Barcelona drew a total of three matches before Thursday's loss and Messi says they are the masters of their own downfall.

He told Spanish TV channel Movistar + as reported by AS: "To be honest, this is not the way we wanted things to end, but tonight's game is a microcosm of our entire season.

"We've been too weak and vulnerable. It's not normal that another team beats us for intensity and desire. We dropped too many points along the way and that sums up our season.

"Real Madrid did what they had to do after the restart and didn't drop any points, we helped them along the way by losing points that we should not have let slip.

"We need to take a look at ourselves. We are Barcelona and we should be winning everything."

Barcelona play the second leg of their last-16 Champions League clash with Napoli at the Nou Camp on August 8, with the tie level at 1-1.

“We've been too weak and vulnerable. It's not normal that another team beats us for intensity and desire”
- Lionel Messi told Movistar

The winner will likely face a quarter-final against Bayern Munich, as the German champions hold a commanding 3-0 advantage over Chelsea, but Messi admits Barcelona will need a huge improvement to compete.

"I'm telling you that if we continue in this manner, we will not advance in the Champions League as we weren't good enough to retain the LaLiga title," he added.

"We're going to need to change plenty if we want to deliver and we also need to take a long hard look at ourselves.

"We lost the title due to our own shortcomings and not because of what Real Madrid did as many people are claiming."

amp_article__406887 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-07-17 08:51:07:
html db last update - 2020-07-17 08:51:07 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Lionel Messi

Click here for more stories about Barcelona

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona14111242142834
2Atletico MadridAtletico148512181329
3Real Madrid1283125111427
4Villarreal127322319424
5GironaGirona146352018221
6Mallorca146351312121
7Osasuna136341720-321
8Athletic Bilbao135531913620
9Real BetisBetis145541616020
10Real Sociedad135351110118
11Celta Vigo145362224-218
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves144191524-913
17Las PalmasLas Palmas143381825-712
18Valencia122461219-710
19Espanyol133191226-1410
20Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .