Umtiti Reveals What Lucho Said To Players vs. PSG

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 10: Samuel Umtiti of FC Barcelona competes for the ball with Oriol Riera of CA Osasuna during the La Liga match between CA Osasuna and FC Barcelona at Sadar stadium on December 10, 2016 in Pamplona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
PAMPLONA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 10: Samuel Umtiti of FC Barcelona competes for the ball with Oriol Riera of CA Osasuna during the La Liga match between CA Osasuna and FC Barcelona at Sadar stadium on December 10, 2016 in Pamplona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti talked about what former manager Luis Enrique said to motivate his players to come back against PSG.

Although Barcelona didn’t win the Champions League in 2017, they sure had arguably the best moment from the competition this past season. In fact, it’s one of the great moments in the history of the European Cup competition. After losing 4-0 in Paris to PSG, the Blaugrana managed to make a comeback for the ages. In the second leg, Barca won 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals with a 6-5 aggregate victory. However, their run was short-lived as Juventus knocked out Barca in the next round. Samuel Umtiti played a big part in the comeback.

Umtiti, the French defender who signed with Barcelona last summer, had an excellent first season with the Catalan club. Since the club season is over, the Frenchmen is playing with the national team as World Cup qualifying continues this summer. Umtiti took the time to speak with Radio Montecarloon and he looked back on his first season with the team.

"“Collectively we have had good moments and bad moments. That’s why we weren’t able to win the league. Just personally, to have a first season like this, playing so many games, is very satisfactory. I have to progress in some aspects still, but I am on a good path. That’s what I was looking for at Barcelona, consistency, playing a run of games. For my first season, it’s gone well, although we haven’t won any of the titles we wanted.”Umtiti On His First Season With BarcelonaMore from Everything BarcaFC Barcelona tracking Belgian WonderkidFC Barcelona vs Betis Player RatingsBarça boss Xavi to get contract extensionFC Barcelona planning swoop for Arsenal midfielderBarcelona interested in €30 million wonderkid"

The Barca fans are certainly looking for more trophies next season. Although Luis Enrique left, Umtiti will have a new manager in Ernesto Valverde. Valverde comes to Barca from Athletic Bilbao after a successful run there. Lucho did give the team a lot of motivation to make the legendary comeback against PSG. Umtiti had some things to say about that.

"“He said to us: ‘Lads, even if there’s only five minutes left, you can score three goals.’ Honestly, he said that to us. It wasn’t easy, but we found the mental strength to believe in the comeback. I don’t know where PSG went wrong. They let us play and that wasn’t the solution. We couldn’t produce out best game, but when we scored it did them damage mentally and I think they gave up easily.”Umtiti On Lucho’s Motivation"

Next: Players Expected To Leave Barcelona This Summer

Overall, it was an excellent first season individually for Samuel Umtiti. However, he’d definitely trade that for more trophies with the team. Under Valverde, the team must bounce back from the struggle that was the 2017 season. The next season begins with the Spanish Super Cup against rivals Real Madrid. Valverde and Umtiti will look to make a big splash into next season.