The Spanish head coach has admitted that the Blaugrana’s domestic failings could cost him his position at Camp Nou
Quique Setien says he doesn’t know if he’ll still be coaching Barcelona when they resume their Champions League campaign in August, as he acknowledged his job could be at risk after the team’s failed La Liga title defence.
Barca’s chances of winning a third consecutive Spanish top-flight crown were dashed when Real Madrid picked up a 2-1 win at home to Villarreal on Thursday night.
Setien’s men needed to win against Osasuna at Camp Nou while hoping their arch-rivals dropped points, but they slumped to their sixth defeat of the season.
Jose Arnaiz opened the scoring for the visitors when he volleyed past Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the Barca net with just 15 minutes on the clock, much to the dismay of Setien and his staff in the dugout.
Barca toiled in vain for an equaliser until Lionel Messi stepped up to take a free-kick just after the hour mark, and the Argentine produced a trademark finish to haul the home side level.
Unfortunately, the Blaugrana were unable to build on the Argentine’s moment of magic, and Osasuna snatched all three points in stoppage when Roberto Torres steered the ball into the net following a swift counter-attack.
Madrid’s 34th La Liga title was confirmed after the final whistle, while Barca now only have the Champions League left to play for, with their round of 16-second leg tie against Napoli set to take place in Lisbon next month.
After watching his side suffer a damaging 2-1 defeat in their own backyard, Setien admitted that his time in charge at Camp Nou could draw to a close before European football resumes.
He told reporters post-match: “I hope to be the Barcelona coach in the Champions League but I don’t know.”
Lionel Messi was scathing in his assessment of Barca’s form in 2020 following the Osasuna defeat, as he expressed his belief that they made it easy for Madrid to win back La Liga.
Setien says he understands the Argentine’s frustrations, but also believes that the Blaugrana have been the victims of bad luck on several occasions in their quest for continued domestic dominance.
“I agree with Messi on some things,” he added. “We have to do self-criticism and if we don’t do it, it will cost us anything we want to do.
“We have tried to improve during these months that we have been here, there are things that have cost us and [overshadowed the] many times that we have done well.
“It all comes down to success, today the opponent shot three times and scored two goals, we had fifteen [shots] and we were not right.”
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