Barcelona ace highlights lack of intensity as primary factor in Sevilla thumping

Barcelona ace highlights lack of intensity as primary factor in Sevilla thumping originally appeared on The Sporting News

Barcelona are heading into the international break with two deflating defeats as they succumbed to a 4-1 humbling against Sevilla in their latest La Liga fixture at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday. 

This defeat comes after they lost to PSG in the midweek at home in the Champions League and now Hansi Flick has a lot to ponder for the future matches. 

Barcelona looked extremely disjointed as a unit especially in their pressing structures and therefore Sevilla took full advantage of it and secured a famous win in front of their home fans. 

The hosts carved open Barcelona's defense multiple times in the first half, but they weren't clinical enough otherwise they could have finished the game in the first 45 minutes itself. 

Despite that, a missed penalty from Robert Lewandowski and two goals in stoppage time meant they scored four goals past the Catalans for the first time in 74 years. 

After the match, Barcelona midfield stalwart Pedri Gonzalez was honest about the team's issues as he felt the visitors' lacked intensity in the game. 

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"Awful. We haven’t played a game as bad as today’s," Pedri said after the defeat. 

"We have to be self-critical, recover now, and those of us who are playing with the national team can play there, but when we return, we have to think and reflect so that it doesn’t happen again. 

"With the ball, we didn’t know how to get out of that one-on-one pressure they used. We lacked intensity in defence. In the first half, we didn’t know how to attack or defend well. 

"We need to improve a lot of things to continue the positive run we were on. We have to be self-critical and look at the things we’ve done wrong. 

"The manager and I will work to improve them after the break."

The youngster admitted Barcelona neither had intensity nor quality on the ball as they struggled with energy and focus which the hosts capitalized. 

"In the first half, we had neither intensity nor quality on the ball. We didn’t know what to do with it. 

"They won every duel against us. They knew how to attack us. We pushed our line when we shouldn’t have, especially with the ball.

"They made us one-on-one, and we didn’t know how to get out of the pressure. 

What did Pedri say about Lewandowski's missed penalty?

Alexis Sanchez handed Sevilla the lead in the 13th minute, and later Isaac Romero doubled it in the 37th minute. Right at the stoke of half time, Marcus Rashford pulled one back for Barcelona. 

However, Barcelona had a lifeline of coming back into the game when they received a penalty in the 74th minute. Lewandowski stepped up to take the spot kick and his effort struck the post on its way out. 

This was probably the turning point of the game as the Catalans conceded two late goals to eventually suffer a horrible defeat. 

However, Pedri downplayed the importance of the missed penalty but admitted that it could have changed the game. 

"These are chances that can really make a difference in a match, but you can miss a penalty. You shouldn’t see that as a result. 

"We weren’t good during the match. We had that chance to equalize, but we have to be self-critical and go out to the matches better."

However, the international break comes at the right time as it allows Flick and his players to think through about his highline strategy after losing twice last week. 

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