Since their defeat to Paris Saint Germain in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie last Tuesday, media is abuzz with news coming out from the FC Barcelona dressing room.
Right after the match, Gundogan took his teammates to task for their poor performance, and clearly criticized Ronald Araujo for his mistake that ended up being crucial in the tie as he got a red card for a foul on PSG forward Bradley Barcola and PSG took full advantage of the situation to turn the tie around and advance to the semifinals.
Since Gundogan’s media talk, several players have opined on the loss, with some players like Kounde and Roberto highlighting how football is a team sport and no one should be blamed in particular for the loss. Ronald Araujo also responded to the German’s criticism a day later.
Now, as SPORT has reported, one of the most loved defenders to have donned the Barcelona jersey, Carles Puyol, has given his opinion on the matter. Speaking about the whole episode, the former captain said:
“We should try not to say too much outside because then it can be interpreted in many ways, but I am convinced that he did not have any bad intentions. They will have already talked inside the dressing room and everything will be solved.”
“Everyone is free to say what they believe. I am in favor of things that need to be discussed should be talked about inside the dressing room; I believe he gives an opinion without bad intentions, and that’s it.”
Having spent all of his professional career at a top club like Barcelona, there are few people who know more about being a professional player than Puyol, and the current Barcelona players cannot do too wrong if they take a leaf out of his book and follow his way of conducting themselves in public.
Keeping in view the difficult situation the club is going through, remaining united would be the best way forward for the team, and hopefully, sense will prevail in the dressing room in the coming weeks and months.
