Barcelona struggled to win the match against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, hitting another draw amid a crucial rank rally against Real Madrid.
Barcelona couldn’t bag a solid win against Atletico Madrid today. The draw only added a point closer to Real Madrid.
Unfortunately, per analysts, Barca will be four points behind, should Real Madrid be able to score a win against Getafe this Thursday. Barca’s remaining games might not be enough to take overthrow Real this La Liga season.
Lost moments that may have resulted in a win
As Sports has put it, “There were times in the first half where it looked like they might do it.”
Football fan favorite, Lionel Messi, was seen trying to score from a corner a few times. He was only successful on the second attempt, courtesy of Diego Costa.
Although, the first attempt was very close to a score. Unfortunately, it was “hacked away close to the near post” by Jan Oblak.
HIGHLIGHTS | @FCBarcelona and @atletienglish share the points in a thriller at the Camp Nou! 🍿
📺 #BarçaAtleti pic.twitter.com/elXMaXdJ83
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) June 30, 2020
Messi’s shot was supposed to be celebratory, considering it would’ve marked the 700th goal of his career. However, the moment was quickly taken away with the match resulting in a draw—possibly losing to Real Madrid already.
Messi being Messi. 💫#BarçaAtleti pic.twitter.com/iKywuGsm0b
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) June 30, 2020
Barcelona news: Setien explains Antoine Griezmann’s late sub
Meanwhile, Barcelona issues and decision-making continue to be critiqued by many analysts and fans. Coach Quique Setien, who is currently on the hot seat, receives another wave of raised eyebrows after his Antoine Griezmann late-game substitution decision.
Per ESPN, Setien will reportedly not apologize for his decision. Griezmann came in so late in a very critical game, with “two seconds of normal time remaining in a game,” per Goal, or three minutes of additional time.
This would be the Frenchman’s third bench sit out in four games. Sports publications have noted a waste of usage for the French footballer, consider the hefty €120 million [AU$195 million] deal Barca executives signed for bringing Griezmann to the club.
Is there room for Antoine Griezmann at FC Barcelona? 🤷♂️😞#Griezmann #Setien #FCBarcelona #Barca #ViscaBarca #LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/ZOpP9UZoNi
— LiveScore (@livescore) July 1, 2020
As seen on Tuesday’s Camp Nuo match, ESPN notes, “Setien opted for a midfield four against Atletico, and when he did eventually bring on another attacker, in the 85th minute, he opted for Ansu Fati.”
The sports media outlet quotes Setien’s explanation to the Spanish telecommunications, Movistar, saying:
“The problem is not everyone can play. We have to make decisions. Maybe it wasn’t logical to bring him on [that late], but it was worse to not do so. A player like him can always do something. We didn’t bring him on before because the team was doing well, Riqui [Puig] was doing well, we always try to have [Luis] Suarez and [Lionel] Messi on the pitch. It is difficult to find a place [for Griezmann] without destabilizing the team.”
In a news conference, Setien further defended his decision, saying it is not true that he doesn’t have confidence in Griezmann, and that he won’t apologize to the player for the call he made.
He does know that the Frenchman will likely “feel bad” on what happened.
Featured image courtesy of FC Barcelona/Twitter