Barcelona hit a bit of a slump after an incredible run of matches. The Catalans were unbeaten in 16 games straight before succumbing to Sevilla in a shock defeat in the Copa del Rey. After that, they were humiliated by Paris Saint-Germain and they needed a quick come back but they could only manage a disappointing draw against Cadiz, which was even more disappointing as they could not capitalize on Atletico Madrid dropping points. Ronald Koeman’s men finally snapped out of it in their latest match against Elche and the manager could not be more relieved.
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The Spanish giants were able to put three past Elche in a must-win match in order to keep their league title hopes still alive. With this win, they moved up to third place, two points behind Real Madrid and five points behind Atletico.
The Catalans started the match in the same lackluster manner as their previous two matches but picked it up in the second half and ended up winning 3-0, courtesy of two goals by Lionel Messi and one by Jordi Alba. Koeman admitted in a post-match interview that he was relieved that the team could find their spirit and win the game.
Koeman talks Barcelona victory
He said in the interview that it was a good feeling after the draw against Cadiz. He also went on to say,
"“We needed to win after the two results, We played a great second half, we made the difference. In the first half, we should have done better.”Source Goal"
Koeman then went on to talk about the Argentine legend. Messi was hugely frustrated during the first half of the game as the club lacked intensity and were not pressing enough. They, however, picked up their game in the second half after Messi opened the scoresheet on the 48th minute of the game. Koeman commented,
"“In the first half we were lazy, without rhythm, despite the two occasions. In the second half, much better. With more rhythm of the ball. We also scored fast. We were much better in the second half than in the first.”"
The title race is not completely off although it is still an uphill battle as the Catalans dropped points last week. Koeman still believes that they can win the league this season as long as they stay perfect in the last 14 matches of the season. He said in the interview,
"“If we do not win more and more, we will have no chances. In the last 13 or 14 games we have to be almost perfect. The problem has been in the beginning of season.”"
Will Barca manage to win against Sevilla and PSG?