Diego Simeone has come out to defend his decision to field the youngest starting XI of his tenure against Sevilla. He recently rested as many as 10 key players ahead of a season-defining Champions League quarter-final second leg against Barcelona, and fans have been reacting.
According to him, he prioritised player fitness and freshness ahead of this week’s UCL fixture against Barca because it is going to be a difficult match.
He added that despite the lack of senior experience on the pitch, he was encouraged by the performance levels of the debutants.
His words, “The Sevilla match was more about being clinical. We have a plan, it may go well or it may go poorly, but I won’t be moved from it. I have a plan.
I always say the same thing, for me there are no ages. There are players who interpret the game and players who don’t. I think we competed very well.
We had a more bulky possession than I would have liked as I would have preferred us to be more direct. I think we could have equalised. I am happy with the way they did it. One doesn’t know when those opportunities will return and you have to be prepared.”
WOW.
Futbol Club Barcelona is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, Catalan, German, and English footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto “Més que un club” (“More than a club”). Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the third-most valuable sports team in the world, worth $5.51 billion, and the world’s fourth richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of €582.1 million.
The official Barcelona anthem is the “Cant del Barça”, written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinàs. Barcelona traditionally play in dark shades of blue and garnet stripes, hence nicknamed Blaugrana.
In March 2021, Lionel Messi overtook Xavi’s record of 767 games played for the club, and presently has made 778 official appearances in all competitions, while also holding the record for the most appearances in La Liga matches for Barcelona, with 520.
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