Barcelona suffered their second consecutive defeat at home in La Liga last night as they were beaten 0-1 by minnows Leganes.
The Blaugrana had lost to UD Las Palmas in their previous home match in the Spanish top flight and fumbled once again despite dominating possession and creating a plethora of chances which they failed to convert.
The 0-1 defeat invites more pressure on Hansi Flick’s men in La Liga, after collecting just five points from the last 18 – allowing Atletico Madrid to come level with them and Real Madrid just one point behind.
Speaking to the media after the match, Barcelona midfielder Pedri expressed his disappointment over another poor result.
“It was a tough match, to be honest, it is impossible to leave here happy today. We started off sluggishly, and that is when they scored. After that, we woke up, but we did not have that spark to get to goal and score,” said the midfielder.
Pedri pointed out that after conceding from a set-piece early on, Barcelona needed to start matches better, saying:
“Above all, we need to enter the match better. They put a lot of people behind the ball. We had chances. It was not due to a lack of trying, but we need to improve and start matches like we do in the Champions League.”
Pedri heavily disappointed with the Leganes loss. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
While Barça are having to play a game every three days, Pedri insisted that the team is in good physical condition and that the heavy match schedule is not an excuse.
“It is true that we have many consecutive matches, but that is not an excuse. We need to approach games with the same confidence we have in the Champions League, because at the end of the day, football is about winning.”
Further analysing the defeat, the Spanish international added: “We had chances to win the match. We need to have that conviction to get to goal.”
“It is one of the toughest defeats we have suffered in La Liga so far,” admitted Pedri with self-criticism, saying “We need to improve many things.”
The Barcelona heavyweight compared the level of concentration in the Champions League and stressed that they need to hold La Liga to the same standard:
“That extra 5% we give in the Champions League, we need to give that in La Liga. I do not think we are at the level we are showing in Europe; in La Liga, we drop the intensity,” he remarked.
Pedri finished by highlighting the competitiveness of the league: “Anyone can beat you. Las Palmas and Leganes come and beat you at home. That cannot happen, we are Barça,” he concluded.
Source: Mundo Deportivo