FC Barcelona midfielder Pedri looked grim after his team was eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Athletic Club on Wednesday evening.
The Canarian once again deplored the mistakes made by the Barcelonans. The Blaugrana gave in after just a minute of play against the Basque club, for the third time this season. Pedri told Sport they knew what they had to do to make a difference.
Pedri attacks his teammates
“It is clear that we have to be more enterprising at the start of the match, this has happened to us several times. We need to be self-critical and improve defensively. Last year, that’s what allowed us to win La Liga. It’s not just the defensive line, we all need to improve and that will make the difference.”
He also issued a rallying cry for the rest of the season. “ They are pressing a lot here in San Mames. They always press high, they have a lot of speed and they are not easy to defend. We should have been more discreet with the ball and played our game. It is clear that La Liga is complicated, but we will fight until the end. We will fight to the death for the two titles we have left.”
Coach Xavi Hernandez is under increasing pressure after seeing the Copa del Rey slip away. The consensus was that this was their best chance of winning a trophy this season. Xavi has also opened the door to a departure at the end of the season, which could be the case if he fails to improve the Blaugrana defense…
