Will Barcelona repeat PSG magic?
But Enrique doesn’t believe in a comeback against Juventus
Barcelona – Outgoing Barcelona coach Luis Enrique turned on his misfiring stars after “reliving a nightmare” with his side’s 3-0 humbling by Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.
Barca produced the biggest Champions League comeback of all time in the last 16, overturning a 4-0 first-leg deficit by scoring three times in a crazy final 10 minutes to beat the French champions 6-1.
However, a downcast and visibly angry Enrique said he found it “harder to believe in a comeback” than even the night in Paris that precipitated his decision to step down at the end of the season eight weeks ago.
“The first-half was a disaster, like it was the third half of the PSG game,” said Enrique, who then took an out of character shot at the Barca players’ attitude.
“I haven’t been able to transmit my ideas well to my players because that was nothing like what I asked for. I feel very sad and impotent. What we saw was very serious.
“The positioning with the ball is my responsibility, but without it the intensity has to be different.”
Enrique was filmed banging a table in his dugout in anger after watching a replay of Pablo Dybala’s second goal in the first 22 minutes.
In a recurring theme of Barca’s season Giorgio Chiellini then exposed a weakness from set-pieces to add Juventus’ third just after half-time.
“Crucified,” ran the headline of Barca daily Sport alongside a picture of Enrique.
“Very sad. Very serious,” said the front cover of its rival Mundo Deportivo.