As 'You'll Never Walk Alone' rang out around Anfield, Sergio Busquets struggled to compose himself for a post-match interview. He, like everyone else, was in a state of shock.
However, whereas Liverpool midfielder James Milner was shedding tears of joy in front of the Kop, Busquets was in the throes of despair.
Just over a year after a humiliating 3-0 second-leg loss to Roma in the Champions League quarter-finals, the Catalans had capitulated again, this time conceding four unanswered goals to a rampant Reds side in an epic semi-final.
"They were better than us," Busquets magnanimously conceded. "They went after the game from the first minute.
"I just want to say sorry to the supporters. After Roma we didn’t want this to happen again..."
Fighting back the tears, Busquets added: "But if you don’t press against a team like this and you don’t take your chances, then you’re in trouble. It’s hard to say anything else."
There was nothing else to say, no excuses to fall back on. Barcelona had been beaten, fair and square.
They had simply had no answer to Liverpool's pressing game, their controlled aggression.
"They were smarter than us," Busquets conceded, "they were faster."
Both physically and mentally, too, as exemplified by the ingenious Trent-Alexander Arnold corner that allowed Divock Origi to decide the tie in Liverpool's favour.
The Reds' quick-thinking had caught Barcelona cold. Even coach Ernesto Valverde admitted afterwards that the ball was in the net before he knew what happened.
There had been nothing surprising about Liverpool's approach at Anfield, though. Valverde knew what was coming, and yet he proved powerless to prevent it.
"You can’t make any mistakes [against Liverpool], you can’t switch off," the Barca boss warned his side beforehand.
"They’re a team that have a surge and, in 15 minutes, they try to steamroller you. And they often succeed."
GOAL
No comments:
Post a Comment