In his analysis of the match, Pellegrini did not avoid self-criticism, highlighting “a bad defensive day”, calling Bartra’s action “rather confrontational” and emphasizing that the team never gave up. “We lacked more aggression. … In defense, in the first half, we gave a lot of licenses. We were the second best defense in the Championship. I think we had as many finishes as them, but they were efficient and we weren’t. In the second half, the important thing is not to have given up despite this rather controversial penalty. We scored on the scoreboard but it wasn’t enough. Barcelona converted everything they generated in the first half. We came as many times as they did, theirs got in and ours didn’t. That’s how it is in football,” he summed up.
“I spoke about it with the players. We had a very bad defensive game. If there is a way to lose, let it be like today, without giving up. We kept looking, we scored two goals and had a few more chances. I really appreciate that the team continues to believe, that they don’t give up. We met Barça on a bad defensive day. “They were very effective in achieving results because they have a lot of quality,” resigned the Engineer in his analysis of the third defeat in the league.
Even though there was already a three-goal gap, Bartra’s penalty, after intervention by the VAR and examination of Hernández Maeso on the monitor, caused a lot of indignation in La Cartuja. “I can’t explain now why I didn’t see the error. Marc is hit in the body then in the arm. There have been no complaints from anyone – Pellegrini emphasized -. The VAR intervenes, the complete opposite of what the referees explain to us. This is the fifth goal. There were more important actions in the first half. 4-1 is different from 5-1. We continue to fight for discounts. “I can’t give an exact opinion because I haven’t seen him again,” reflected the green and white coach.
In statements to Movistar, when asked about it, he made this assessment: “This ball hits Bartra before the body rather than the arm. I don’t intend to ask them (the referees). They know what they’re doing. Nobody complained. They invented a prison to increase revenue even more. We were 1-4 at the time. I’m not using this to justify defeat. “We scored a few more goals and two pretty clear chances,” he recalls.
He was asked in the press room about the usefulness of VAR and he offered this thought. “I am a person who supports VAR because it has helped football a lot to avoid committing injustices. This helps the referee, but the referee is the referee, not the VAR. Let’s not blame VAR for the decisions made by the referee. For that you have to have personality, it doesn’t go beyond that. Looking at the Copa del Rey, it’s absolutely necessary for football,” he said.
He doesn’t think the defeat will affect the team’s morale ahead of the European clash in Zagreb. “The team picks itself up by making a good self-criticism of failures. We must not forget that we were playing against Barcelona. Just like when you win the derby, you focus on winning the next match, when you lose it’s the same. Football is present. I don’t think it will affect us in Zagreb,” he said. And he was “very happy” that Antony scored a goal. “The attacking game was good, with a lot of chances. Antony came back from a few matches without goals and today he played a complete match. I’m happy for him,” he reiterated.
He sees Pablo García “as a young player, with a lot of projection, who has a lot to learn”, emphasizing in the thread that “playing with Antony, Abde, Cucho and the midfielders will help him progress according to what he reflects. “He lacks maturity but he can give us important things,” he said.
The fans did not stop supporting despite the tough setback on the scoreboard and Pellegrini appreciated it too. “It is very important to feel the encouragement of the supporters to score a goal. I don’t think 4-1 made the difference in the first half. “The fans understood it that way and that’s why they continued to support with so much intensity and with the team trying to react on the pitch,” he said.
Besides the defeat, the evening left another piece of bad news, Junior’s injury. “We don’t know what’s in it until they do some testing,” the engineer said. It’s a muscle injury that will stop him for a few weeks. For Thursday, Ricardo is suspended and Junior is injured. It’s a very important match to continue in the Europa League, that’s what we are focusing on, and then on recovering the visitors’ points on the Rayo pitch,” said Pellegrini, who does not know the reason why he was reprimanded. “My only complaint was for an offside of six to seven meters which was not charged. “I don’t know why he showed me yellow if it was for me.”