Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman defended Samuel Umtiti after their Copa del Rey defeat at Sevilla.
Barca lost the first-leg of their semifinal 2-0 last night.
Umtiti came into the starting line-up alongside Oscar Mingueza at centre-back, but it was not the Frenchman’s finest night as he was involved in both of Sevilla‘s goals. Afterwards, Koeman confirmed that he opted for Umtiti over the healthy Clement Lenglet.
“He had no physical problems,” Koeman said on Lenglet.
“It was a decision to play with Umtiti and Mingueza because there are a lot of games. There are not many people at the back, and you have to have all the players available.
“We left a lot of space in the first goal, not only in defence, but also in the middle of the pitch. And in the second we weren’t good at setting the offside trap.
“Umtiti was good in the game. He made mistakes, like everyone else. It’s part of football. It’s not fair to go after him. We all lose and we all win.”
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