After 409 minutes, Barcelona scored again at Getafe’s home. A goal that was not enough to end the curse of the Coliseum: the Barça team has not achieved a victory with Getafe at home for five years, since September 28, 2019. A draw that cuts off the team’s positive dynamics in the rest of the tournaments, and extends the negative one in LaLiga. “You have to be self-critical and win the rest of the season. If we do it we can be there,” explained Pedri. “Winning a championship is always complicated. Today we added one point, we left two. We have to look forward and do better,” added Hansi Flick at a press conference.
During the match, at the beginning of the second half, the referee activated the anti-racism protocol. After the meeting, Balde clarified what happened: “Today I received racist insults. It’s something that shouldn’t happen. “It was in the first half, I told the referee and he activated the protocol.” “There should be no room for this in football, nor in life. Now is the time when we have to reflect, and these people who insult should stay home. We have to fight against this. It is unacceptable,” Flick shared about what happened to the left back.
A draw with which the culés did not take advantage of the good streak since the beginning of the year – full of victories, ten goals in two games and winning the Super Cup – nor the failure of Atlético de Madrid, league leaders, against Leganés. “A lot is happening to us this season. We are playing well, but we have to win. We have many chances, but we have to finish them,” Balde confessed. In this way, the bad dynamics in LaLiga also continue: Barcelona has lost 18 of the last 24 points, with only one victory in eight games and nine consecutive days conceding a goal. “We know the situation, that we have lost many points in the last games. We can do much better. We have also started this new year very well. Now we have to show that we can continue with that line,” remarked the German coach.
They could not beat a rival that is the one that scores the least – 13 goals – but also the third that concedes the least – 16 – in the League. “We wanted to leave with the three points. It is a complicated field. They lock themselves back, try to waste time, take you out of the game. When you come to this field you already know what you are coming for. We don’t have to despair. “I think we got into their game a little bit,” Pedri confessed before a hot and eventful end to the match. “It is a new experience that I have had today in Getafe,” explained Flick. “They are emotions,” he added later.
The Blaugranas shot 21 times, only five on target – three of them in Jules Koundé’s goal – and took 10 corners. “We had control of the game and on one occasion he scored a goal for us. It’s a shame”, the French full-back after the match. “We haven’t gotten it right,” he confessed about the team’s lack of effectiveness. “They defend very well. We have created chances. But we have not been successful in front of goal,” Flick added along the same lines.
A Koundé who scored the only culé goal at the Coliseum, his third goal this season in which he also added seven assists. A Koundé, too, at the center of a controversial action: the French full-back fell to the field after being grabbed by Uche in the 80th minute. His teammates asked for a penalty. “I’m not going to comment,” said the Frenchman about the action. “There has been a lot of emotion in this stadium in all the contacts. I had never experienced it like this. I’m not happy, but I have to accept what happened today. We are already thinking about Tuesday’s game,” Flick added.
Before the match against Benfica in the Champions League for the Blaugranas, Real Madrid faces Las Palmas this Sunday. In the event of a victory, Barcelona, already in third place in the league, will be seven points behind the white team. A distance that was not in Flick’s plans, who remains calm although disappointed. For now, Barcelona is still stuck in LaLiga.
