The clash against Getafe saw FC Barcelona open their La Liga campaign of the 2023/2024 season with a singular point to their name following a goalless draw at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on the first match day of the official Spanish First Division.
Beyond just the score and the points achieved from the game, a key takeaway was the physicality and dirty tactics deployed by Getafe to keep Barcelona at bay and disrupt their play as much as possible in front of their home crowd to nullify the Catalan giants.
Following the game, one that concluded with three red cards having been handed out during it, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez came out to publicly address the unsportsmanlike conduct of Getafe and the referee’s inability to seek it out and put a rest to it.
In response, as highlighted by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Getafe CF goalkeeper David Soria came to his side’s own defense and provided his counter arguments to Xavi’s statements and simply put them off as excuses that have been a recurring theme from Barcelona, stating:
“Last year it was the sun and the grass, and this year it’s the referee.
He also highlighted how the Barcelona players themselves wasted time in response to criticism about Getafe having ran down the minutes with various tactics to waste time, saying:
“Araujo spent five minutes on the ground for them to review a VAR play, but nobody talks about that.”
Lastly, the Madrid-born goalkeeper also made it a key point to address and defend the style of play that Getafe had deployed against Barcelona, stating it to be their way of countering a team like the Catalans who have their own way to play, saying:
“They can’t come to our field and be allowed to play comfortably. We can’t play like Barcelona, we have other qualities.”
As it stands, Barcelona currently sit at 12th position in La Liga following the conclusion of Matchday 1 across the Spanish First Division as all matches have wrapped up, and the Catalans will now look towards their upcoming game against Cadiz as their target to achieve all three points and turn their fortune around.
