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Barcelona: Luis Enrique takes blame for Champions League exit

Last updated on .From the section European Footballcomments447

Barcelona
Lionel Messi (left) failed to score for the fifth game in a row for Barcelona

Barcelona are "in a hole" and "finding it difficult to score goals" admitted boss Luis Enrique following their shock Champions League quarter-final defeat.

The holders were beaten 3-2 on aggregate by Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid, who won the second leg 2-0.

"The team are sad. We aren't at our best at the moment, nor our most effective," he said.

"I'm 99.9% to blame, no 100. That's why I am the coach, the most responsible. We all have to improve."

Antoine Griezmann scored both goals for Atletico at the Vicente Calderon, while Lionel Messi failed to net for the fifth club game in a row.

"It is clear that we are not in our best form, especially if you consider how we were playing before, but we need to lift ourselves," added Enrique.

It is only the third time in 11 years that Barcelona have not reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

They are three points clear of Atletico at the top of La Liga, but have lost three of their past four games in all competitions.

"It was the game we predicted, although perhaps I didn't expect Atletico to play so deep. It wasn't our best day," added Enrique, who won the treble in his first year in charge at Barca.

"We have to stay calm and think that we still have two competitions where we are in the running.

"Everyone can choose the explanation. To give mine I have to analyse the performance. It is not our best time, but it is not the time to be nervous."

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447 comments

  • Comment posted by Eggieplant, at 08:24 14 Apr 2016

    I'm glad Barcelona are out so we don't have to listen to the ridiculous drooling every time they pass the ball 3 yards.

  • Comment posted by User0338554947, at 07:05 14 Apr 2016

    Just wait till they get beaten 2-0 by Leicester next season.

    The sky will fall in.

    And won't we be happy....................................

  • Comment posted by Ermac, at 07:13 14 Apr 2016

    This season gets better all the time. Twists and turns, favourites losing it, relegation candidates becoming title contenders, England exciting to watch! I know there's a lot of cynicism around the game these days but top entertainment!

  • Comment posted by More Like It, at 08:11 14 Apr 2016

    At least they lost to a top European side. Imagine the embarassment if they had lost to someone like FC Astana, Olympiakos or Man Utd

  • Comment posted by ZOLANUFFSAID, at 07:11 14 Apr 2016

    Tbh good...the play acting and rolling around and throwing themselves to the ground every time theres contact is awful to watch,the hounding of refs showing imaginary cards to get players booked, then throw in the mind boring 50 backwards passes when their ahead and i say good riddance...

  • Comment posted by User0504291129, at 08:29 14 Apr 2016

    Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of egotistical prima donnas who wouldn't look out of place in an Olympic swimming pool with all their diving

    Congrats to Atletico

  • Comment posted by Swansea-Fox, at 08:08 14 Apr 2016

    Leicester City 5 - 0 Barcelona

  • Comment posted by clashpet, at 07:47 14 Apr 2016

    70%+ possession and boring pass , pass, pass back, pass football, is killing the enjoyment of football for me. Time to get back to fast attacking football, and strong physical defences. Get the tackle back in football; they are turning it into a non contact sport.

  • Comment posted by Jeb, at 11:31 14 Apr 2016

    "and only catastrophic mismanagement of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have allowed a team like Leicester to compete."

    If Leicester win their remaining 5 games, they will have accrued 87 points. That's exactly the amount of points Chelsea won it with last year. It was also more than City's win the year before that.

    In fact it would be enough to win it most years. Give them credit.

  • Comment posted by DMT, at 08:27 14 Apr 2016

    Would rather watch two EPL teams play each other all day long. Spanish football may be technically superior, far superior in fact, but its tedious, cynical, and often boring and thats an end of it. Cheating, diving,endless back passes, trying to get each other booked . Watch the last 20 minutes of last nights Hammers v United cup match , and thats real excitement.

  • Comment posted by TrojanOtter, at 08:11 14 Apr 2016

    Congratulations to Atletico, on a deserved win and fine defensive performance.

    But how many officials do you need to make an obviously wrong call with such big consequences. Maybe because it's happened to Barca, not a minnow, UEFA might move... oh no, I'm sorry what was I thinking?

  • Comment posted by Gravy, at 13:00 14 Apr 2016

    Good, now we don't have to listen to the sycophantic, mawkish punditry and commentary every time one of their players ties their shoelaces.

    Or endure their incredibly boring pass-pass-pass football.

    Or watch their relentless cheating, diving, referee abuse and cynicism.

    Just a shame Real Madrid managed to turn over Wolfsburg for the same reasons!

  • Comment posted by User0642132446, at 09:32 14 Apr 2016

    Barc have gone slack - they played their best football earlier on in the season.

    It's not possible to play 100% throughout and they've dipped at exactly the wrong time. We've seen similar with Bayern and Real Madrid

  • Comment posted by thegreatkoala, at 11:28 14 Apr 2016

    No mention of Aaron Cresswell trying to con the ref when Fellaini scored yesterday? Oh yeah, I forgot, only the foreign players cheat...

  • Comment posted by Eat_The_Rich, at 13:11 14 Apr 2016

    Good. Fed up with Messi, Neymar and Suarez throwing themselves to the floor every time an opponent even thinks of making a tackle. This is the real reason for Spanish football's recent successes - football has become a non-contact sport for pansies!

  • Comment posted by Sim, at 09:26 14 Apr 2016

    UEFA must have had a sleepless night, after their darlings were knocked out.

  • Comment posted by User0138791583, at 09:13 14 Apr 2016

    Hopefully Atletico go on to finally win this time and prove - as Leicester should - that you don't have to spend hundreds of millions of pounds every year to be in contention for major honours.

  • Comment posted by British Sea Power, at 10:02 14 Apr 2016

    This article is yet more rubbish by the BBC. Barcelona are not in a hole..They lost a game of football. The Gas men outside my house are in a hole putting new pipes in.

  • Comment posted by Whisky and Chips, at 12:59 14 Apr 2016

    @206 Ian

    Soccer has never been the general term used in this country; it's football, always has been, always will be.

    It is called Soccer Saturday for an obvious reason, that Football Saturday does not sound as good.

    The sport is football, unless you are American

  • Comment posted by SummersIron, at 11:48 14 Apr 2016

    Atletico defy belief. They are still in la liga contention and in another CL semi. I'm sure they spend a decent bit of dosh, but nowhere near the levels of their la liga rivals, or any of the other clubs remaining in this competition. I suppose HYSs making fun of Barca are more fun for people, even though very few clubs in the world could beat Atletico over two legs.

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