Enrique slams Barca flops after 0-3 ‘nightmare’ loss to Juventus

By Daily Sports on April 12, 2017

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique slammed his under­performing players after a “nightmare” 3-0 loss to Juventus that has severely dented the Spanish giants’ Champions League hopes.

A first­half double from Paulo Dybala and a second-half header from Giorgio Chiellini secured a quarterfinal first-leg win for the hosts in Turin on Tuesday to leave Barca with a mountain to climb in the April 19 return leg.

The Catalans will now require another epic comeback along the lines of that which saw them reach the last eight.

In the last 16 they spectacularly overcame a 4­0 first-leg deficit to Paris Saint Germain with a 6-1 win at the Camp Nou.

But after seeing his front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar fail to fire against a far superior Juventus side, Luis Enrique voiced little hope of seeing another comeback next week.

“We basically gifted two goals to Juventus in the opening half. As coach, for me it's inexplicable how they were so much better than us,” he said afterwards.

He said the word “nightmare” no less than four times as he struggled to explain how Barca, who arrived in Turin on the back of a 2­0 league reverse to Malaga, failed to respond.

And, in another pop at his players, he labelled their first­half performance in Turin the “third half” from their 4­0 defeat in Paris in February.

“It’s like a nightmare. We’ve had very little luck of late, and now I can only hope that from tomorrow we get back on our feet.

“In the first half the (Barca) players were determined, but we made the same mistakes from Paris, and that’s a problem.”

He added: “Our second half was much better. But I still have the opening half in my head, like a nightmare.

“Maybe it wasn’t (a repeat of) Paris, but it was like the third half from Paris.

“I’m an optimistic person. But I take responsibility for this. I’m the coach and the buck stops at me.

“Until tomorrow, I don’t even want to think about how we can come back.” © AFP

•Photo shows Barcelona coach Luis Enrique.

Source Daily Sports

Posted April 12, 2017


 

You may also like...
Infantino's visit to Nigeria greeted with protests

Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri emerges African champion

Solskjaer Happy To Have Fans Back, Even If...

Michael Babatunde backs Super Eagles to fly high...

Fall of an empire: How Barca were kicked...

Guardiola blames ref after Man City’s Champions League...

 

Latest News Nigeria beat Cameroon to reach IHF final 27 schools for Doregos Basketball Championship Super Falcons to play France’s Les Bleues in friendly SWAN suspends ban on coverage of Anambra FA activities Joshua among boxing’s top three earners in 2024 Oshoala makes history with Bay FC Nnamani hails team over IHF bright start Flamingos lift U-17 W’Cup Fair Play Trophy Rangers Intl, SWAN partner on sports collaboration in SE LAGOS SWAN CELEBRATES AIG ZONE 2 ON HIS BIRTHDAY AND 30 DAYS IN OFFICE Traders Cup: Upholstery Soccer Team Secured 2nd Win To Advance To Round Two Lagos SWAN Celebrates Oba Akiolu, Iyaloja General, AIG Fayoade

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (55,142 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (46,269 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (44,350 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (43,991 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (43,932 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (43,879 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (43,718 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (43,289 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (42,333 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (41,036 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (39,489 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (38,916 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media