Barcelona's Disappointing Draw: Injuries, Lackluster Performance, and the Call for Change
Last night FC Barcelona faced Athletic Club in Laliga Santander. This was the third time both teams had met each other this season with Barcelona beating Athletic Cub at home with just a goal and Athletic Club took their revenge in the Copa Del Rey semi-finals by beating Barca 4-2 to head to the finals of the competition. It was an embarrassing game for Barca and most of the fans, especially myself, were disappointed in the team for losing a game they had under control.
The game last night was Barcelona's opportunity to go ahead of Girona on the league table and reduce the gap against Real Madrid to six points but that did not happen as the match ended in a draw. Barcelona yet again displayed another horrible performance on the field and could not make anything productive upfront against Athletic Club who played a decent game but could not also get a goal in the match last night.
During the game, Barcelona lost two players due to injury and this happened in the first 24 minutes of the first half. Frankie De Jong left the game after he twisted his ankle from a heavy landing when he tried to head the ball. De Jong looked pissed when he was taking off the pitch and I could tell he was angry at himself for picking up an injury at the time the team needed him the most as we approached the Champions League.
Towards the end of the first half, Pedri picked up an injury and I believe it was a hamstring injury which probably means he will be out for about two to three months. Pedri looked sharted on the bench and was crying a lot with his hands on his face. It is sad and I know Pedri is disappointed with himself because throughout this season his fitness level has not been good and even when he returned from his last injury I could see Xavi tried a lot to manage Pedri by not allowing him to play the full 90 minutes in each game since his return.
It has brought me to this conclusion after the two injuries happened that it's high time the current medical and fitness team needs to be sacked off immediately without question because they are not doing their jobs. Pedri has been having relapses and they have not come out with a solution to minimize the level of injury the youngster has been taking this season and also lets not forget that there are other players on the sideline due to injuries and they are yet to recover.
Laporta should be asking questions and getting answers from the team. It's just a week to the second leg of the Champions League and Xavi is without his two most key midfielders next week. It has not been easy for Xavi and I stand with him on his decision to leave at the end of the season, he has done enough for the club and will always be remembered as a legend.
I had to keep hope for this team seeing them in the league and pushing further in the UCL but now it is more like a delusion because it looks like it won't happen this season. I have made up my mind to not put my hopes up on the team for the rest of this season and now I look forward to seeing the new manager and what he has to bring to the club next season. It's been a rough year for Barca but I know they will come back strong soon.
So guys that will be all for now. Thanks for stopping by and have a good day.
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