Defeat at Villarreal: Barça torn apart in Spain

Marcus Rashford

FC Barcelona’s defeat this Sunday in La Liga against Villarreal is being dissected this Monday in Spain. The press is showing no mercy to the Catalans.

After their 1-2 loss to PSG in the Champions League last Wednesday, FC Barcelona faced understandable criticism from the media. But this time, the reigning Spanish champions’ fiasco against FC Sevilla (1-4) on Sunday in La Liga is simply unacceptable in Catalonia. “No excuses,” declared the daily Sport. “Barça’s shipwreck” is unforgivable, according to the newspaper, which laments “the lack of intensity, the poor physical condition of certain players, the lack of squad depth, the lack of attacking efficiency, and the fragility of the defense” displayed by the Catalan club.

Mundo Deportivo is even more blunt in its headline: “Trampled.” “The worst Barça of the Flick era collapsed spectacularly” and “failed to learn the lessons from their defeat against PSG.” The Madrid-based outlet Marca relishes in the disappointment of a Barcelona team “devoured” by Sevilla, showing “their worst face of the season.” El Pais strikes a similar tone, describing the squad as “vulnerable.”“The Blaugrana lost their bearings and were unrecognizable, both collectively and individually,” the daily concluded.