Barcelona can not let the defeat to Real Madrid derail them from their objectives. The Catalan giants still have more than half the season left to play for. La Liga, the Spanish Supercup, Copa Del Ray, and the UEFA Champions League are still up for grabs.
With a mix of seasoned veterans, young talent, and quality all around, Barcelona have all the ingredients needed to perform well this season.
However, the only defining factor will be the mentality that they approach the season with. It is this particular department where the club can still improve, and it has been highlighted by Ilkay Gundogan.
Gundogan’s frustration
In his post-match interview, the German veteran made it clear that he was not completely satisfied. The atmosphere within the dressing room felt complacent and inappropriate to him. For the former Manchester City midfielder, the Barcelona players should show more anger and disappointment than they did.
Barcelona reacts
Typically, a public statement like this can go down badly with the respective club. However, according to Mundo Deportivo, the sporting areas and coaching staff with Barça consider Gundogan’s statements to be a positive occurrence. They believe it to be the proper response that a player of Barcelona should have.
The coaches and higher-ups within the club believe that Ilkay Gundogan did the right thing. A player that comes from a dominant side like Manchester City will understandably not take losing to Real Madrid lightly—moreover, a player as experienced and as successful as the 33-year-old midfielder.
How will the players react?
It was Gundogan’s goal that gave Barcelona their only source of hope during the game. However, succumbing to the pressure, the Catalan giants later allowed Real Madrid to remove any impact that goal may have had.
While the staff within the club consider Gundogan’s words in a positive light, another matter remains unresolved. The response of the players themselves to his words is still an unknown variable. It will be interesting to see how they take to it given that it does reflect badly on those stars in the locker room.
