The FC crew delve into the factors that led to Real Madrid’s defeat against Barcelona, finding blame in both the players and the coach.
Luis Saurez stepped up in the absence of Lionel Messi to score a hat-trick in Barcelona’s emphatic 5-1 win over Real Madrid at the Camp Nou.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen believes it’s time for someone in his team to step up in the absence of Lionel Messi, as Barcelona play Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season.
Barcelona goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen has said it would be counter-productive to waste time getting angry about his lack of game time.
Cillessen, 29, joined Barca from Ajax in 2016 but has been unable to break into Ernesto Valverde’s team due to the form of Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The Dutch international acknowledged it’s far from the ideal setup but has said all he can do is focus on being ready when he is called upon.
“It’s a difficult situation,” he told Diario Sport. “I want to play because I am a sportsman, I always want to be competing, but things are how they are.
“I have to accept them. If I waste energy getting angry about not playing or, worse still, complaining about it, it would be counter-productive for me.
“If I waste time and energy, I can’t focus on my job and I won’t be at a good level when I do play — for Barca or the national team. I know what my role is and I don’t want to waste time on something that doesn’t depend on me.”
Cillessen was linked with a move away from the club in the summer but said Barca’s desire to keep him, plus the lack of any firm interest, meant he was always likely to stay at Camp Nou.
“What I want is to play at the highest level possible,” he added. “But there was nothing firm.
“I’ve not had any concrete offers on the table and, on top of that, Barca told me they didn’t want to lose me.”
Cillessen, who has played 21 times for Barca, will make his first appearance of the season on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey against Cultural Leonesa. Seventeen of his Barca appearances have come in the cup — which he has won twice — and he joked that he’s against plans to make the early rounds one-off games to ensure he gets more playing time.
“I like the Copa,” he said when asked if he minded being labelled the cup goalkeeper. “I also like the fact that in Spain the ties are played over two legs — I hope they don’t change it.”
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