Barcelona advisor talks Lewandowski, Torres, Fati, and improving the squad

In the aftermath of Barcelona’s 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in Sunday’s El Clasico, Jordi Cruyff spoke to the media, offering his thoughts on the loss.

The Barcelona advisor criticised the team’s lack of defensive acumen after conceding the first goal, but refused to put up the referring denying Robert Lewandowski a penalty, as an excuse.

“The 1-0 made us play urgently and leave more space. In football, you have to defend well and take advantage of what you have up front. If you don’t, you tend to lose despite having possession. When you fall, you have to get up,” Cruyff said (h/t Mundo Deportivo)

“The normal thing is that at least you look at it. It surprises us, but that doesn’t serve as an excuse. I don’t want that to seem like the argument for our defeat,” he added when asked about the penalty.

Jordi Cruyff offered some silver lining on the defeat as well, praising the Barcelona team for performing well in the second half. He also praised some of the individual performers, including the substitutes Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.

“There were moments when we didn’t create much danger when we reached the final third of the field. The 2-1 has given us morale and faith to be able to scratch something, but the penalty, to make it 3-1, finished the match.”

“Ansu entered well. He was also decisive in the goal. The goal is great for Ferran’s confidence. That always helps the team. Very important games are coming, and we have to get up as soon as possible. To get the winning streak back,” Cryuff said when asked about the substitutes.

The Barcelona advisor went on offer insights on the club’s expected activity in the transfer market but admitted that the current crop of players has the quality to compete for every competition.

“It’s our job, with the coaching staff. Always analyze what’s coming in 12-18 months, keeping an eye on the market. We made a big change in the summer, obviously, we couldn’t finish everything that was started.”

“But with all the players available, there are plenty of arguments to be able to compete for everything,” he added.

Finally, Cruyff mentioned the role of injuries that can play a key role in Barcelona’s form, adding: “Sometimes there is bad luck, like now that everyone at the back has been injured. This affects the team’s dynamics and unfortunately streaks like the one we’ve had to end. It helps to see the things we still have to improve.”

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