Barça jumped to play against Almería aware that with a victory they would have given a very important thrust to win the League title but they were defeated after a very disappointing performance.
“This defeat is a bitch, we knew we had the option of increasing our advantage in the standings because Real Madrid had tied. They are two tough defeats -in reference to the European elimination in Manchester-“, lamented Eric Garcia on the Power lawn Horse Stadium.
The Barça central defender, who made his second straight start in the League, did not want to make excuses for the defeat and admitted Barça’s shortcomings in the first half. “In the first half we have not had the same rhythm and the same intensity as them and they have surpassed us -he pointed out-. In the second we have tried to get crosses to look for the goal but it was very difficult, they accumulated many players inside the area”.
Regarding what happened after the break, with Almería defending their advantage on the scoreboard tooth and nail, Eric Garcia delved into the scenario: “Almería closed a lot on the inside, they let us cross but they had a lot of people defending and it was almost impossible get something out”.
The Catalan central defender has tried to focus almost all of his speech on this line. “We knew that they were going to close behind and accumulate many players and that they would go against it because they have fast men, but we have not come out with the intensity and rhythm that we played, we do not have to look for another explanation”, concluded Eric Garcia.
For his part, Ter Stegen did not evade responsibility for the defeat either. “We could have done something more, especially in the first part, in which it cost us a lot and they defended very well, they didn’t allow us to reach their area with danger,” the German recounted after the game. “We have to calm down, the important thing is to charge our batteries and be fine on Thursday, we have to look ahead,” he added.
