Barcelona react to Gundogan’s critical remarks following El Clasico loss
Ilkay Gundogan’s critical comments after the El Clasico loss to Real Madrid on Saturday, October 28, the Catalan club has not overlooked these critical remarks.
The German international scored his first goal for Barca during the match, but the reigning La Liga champions fell to a defeat, with Jude Bellingham netting two crucial goals.
Following the game, Gundogan criticized his teammates for what he perceived as a lack of passion, believing they should have shown more frustration and anger after losing to their fierce rivals.
Reports state that both the Barcelona coaching staff and the club’s sporting department value Gundogan’s critical perspective. They have acknowledged the validity of his views following the loss to Real Madrid.
They recognize that the German international, who recently guided Manchester City to a treble victory last season, possesses a winning mentality, which they believe should be instilled within Xavi Hernandez’s squad.
In the wake of the devastating loss to their arch-rivals Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season, Ilkay Gundogan has expressed his sentiments to his Barcelona teammates.
While the El Clasico defeat marked Barcelona’s first loss in all competitions this season, they had previously encountered draws against Getafe, Mallorca, and Granada, which had placed them in third position in the table before the weekend, as reported by ESPN.
The outcome against Los Blancos has now pushed the reigning La Liga champions down to fourth place in the league standings, as Atletico Madrid secured a victory against Alaves on Sunday, October 29.
Earlier, in a report by Sports Brief, it was highlighted that Barcelona’s recent defeat to Real Madrid has left their manager, Xavi, discontented. He attributed the loss to his team’s inability to capitalize on their scoring opportunities.
Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, is set to attend the El Clasico, despite previous indications of him not attending.
The Catalan club’s manager expressed his disappointment with his players for their lack of clinical finishing against the current La Liga leaders, which resulted in a 2-1 home defeat, courtesy of a brace by Jude Bellingham for Los Blancos. Xavi conveyed his frustration at the end of the match, acknowledging that his team required an excessive number of chances to secure a victory in such a high-stakes encounter.