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Triumphantly marching this season, "Barcelona" stumbled twice last week. While Lionel Messi still can't help the team, opponents are chasing the Catalan club, writes the newspaper "Lietuvos rytas".
After losing on Tuesday during the Champions League match in Amsterdam against "Ajax" (1:2), the Catalonian footballers stumbled on Sunday for the first time in the country's championship, when Bilbao couldn't resist against the local team "Athletico" (0:1).
This failure of the leaders instantly brought back intrigue to the "Liga" competition - the Catalonians were again overtaken by the Madrid team "Atletico", and "Real" now lags behind their eternal rivals by only 3 points.
Although at the beginning of the season the "Barcelona" coached by G. Martino was marching in a triumphant rhythm (without a single loss in 20 matches), this week raised a new wave of discussions about the changes proposed by this Argentine for the team's playing style.
"We lacked speed," explained Xavi right after the match in Amsterdam.
"The main problem is the mindset," added Gerard Pique, a teammate.
"Our pressure doesn't work," analyzed Cesc Fabregas.
Arriving in Barcelona last July, G. Martino has already won the Spanish Super Cup (defeated "Atletico" 1:0 and 0:0) and the first "El Clasico" clash against "Real" (2:1), but the team's playing style still does not convince the fans of "Barcelona".
For the Catalonians, winning is not enough. "Barcelona" must play beautifully and respect the legacy of the era of Pepe Guardiola.
The Argentine does not hide his ambitions that he wants not only to preserve the essence of "Barcelona" play (constant pressure and ball control), but also to implement some of his ideas. But it seems that the players still do not fully understand what the new coach expects from them.
"I didn't know whether to press the opponents or watch more behind me," Carles Puyol did not hide his thoughts after the match in Amsterdam.
It should not be forgotten that on Sunday, G. Martino was also forced to play without 6 starting lineup players.
"If I had to sign a contract that we would only lose once in the next 20 matches, give me the contract. I will sign it right away," reassured the critics G. Martino.
