Luis Enrique said he was “100 percent responsible” after Barcelona suffered another damaging away defeat in the Champions League, this time at the hands of Juventus.
Barca lost 4-0 at Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, only to win the return leg 6-1 and go through 6-5 on aggregate — the first time such a first-leg deficit had ever been overturned in the European Cup.
They will now need another miracle back at Camp Nou, although Juve are likely to prove a sterner test than PSG when they take a 3-0 lead to Spain next week.
“It was a difficult first half, very similar to the one in Paris and the second was much better,” Luis Enrique told Mediaset. “If you gift the first half, then obviously you’re going to have problems.
“A coach does everything to help the team and prepare them, but evidently I did not. We have to improve, learn from these mistakes, analyse the game carefully and realise where we went wrong.
“It’s the second time this has happened. It’s hard to think of a remuntada [comeback], but we’ll try to get back on our feet and put in a good performance in the second leg.
“It’s not good to pick on single players after a defeat. It’s a defeat for the whole team, starting with the coach.”
He added in his postmatch news conference: “The feelings as manager are lamentable and it’s difficult to explain. Positioning was a shipwreck, I wasn’t able to transmit it well.
“I take responsibility 101 percent. We had better positioning in the second half, but the rival also let us have the ball. We created clear chances, but when you’re having a nightmare like we had today you don’t have that spark needed to take them.
“I don’t have any energy to think about it now, but tomorrow will be the moment to pick ourselves up again and thing about getting three goals to level the tie and four to win it.
“I can’t get the first half out my head. It’s a shame because I saw the players with the intention to compete and to fight for the Champions League, but we’ve once again made errors…
“It doesn’t matter if I think the result is fair or not, it is what it is. It was the third half off Paris and leaves a lot to be desired.
“I have little appetite to talk about the future now. Even though I am optimistic, it’s natural I also pass through moments when I grieve. I am 100 percent responsible and that’s difficult.”
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