“Araujo is a very clumsy central defender”. “What clumsiness, he condemned Barça”. “My God, Araujo… This error is lamentable”. “Araujo self-deported”. The Spanish press, particularly Catalan, did not fail to ignite Ronald Araujo after Barça’s big defeat on Chelsea’s pitch on Tuesday evening in the Champions League (3-0). It must be said that the Uruguayan’s red card completely undermined his team, already off to a bad start, by receiving two warnings in 12 minutes. His second fault, a huge tackle on Cucurella, is still unexplained…
This expulsion complicated the Blaugrana’s task, certainly, but it is not the first in a high-stakes match. PSG supporters still remember his clash with Bradley Barcola in the spring of 2024 in the quarter-final second leg of the Champions League. In the position of last defender, the player preferred to make a mistake rather than let the Parisian go on goal, while Barça was in a good position in this double confrontation. This repetition of frankly avoidable errors is starting to tire some at the club even if Hansi Flick did not wish to overwhelm him after the meeting at Stamford Bridge.
He is very touched by her gesture which he still does not understand
“I don’t know what happened with the first yellow card. I have to talk to him and watch the videos, and the second one shouldn’t have been whistled like that. But these are things that happen in football. It wasn’t the right time or the right action, but it is what it is. We are going to see a different Barça, I can promise you that. I see how we train, the intensity and the quality, and it’s different from a few weeks ago… I have a good feeling», assured the German coach after the meeting. He will have to find the words to reassure and comfort the defender.
Since his expulsion, the 26-year-old has been particularly affected. According to the show Tot costa on the waves of Catalunya RadioAraujo still hasn’t understood what was going through his head. He is all the more touched as he wore the captain’s armband in England and knows what this responsibility represents towards the rest of the group. Those close to him confirmed his emotional state at the moment, that of a locker room leader particularly affected by recent events. The pressure seems to have gotten the better of him, which does not help him, he is particularly criticized.
