Barca's Busquets defends Pique after Segura criticism

MADRID (Reuters) - Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets hit back at the club's general manager Pep Segura on Tuesday, after he blamed Gerard Pique's own goal for causing their 3-1 Spanish Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid.

Barca's Busquets defends Pique after Segura criticism

(Reuters)





Segura claimed Pique's error was "decisive, it changed the game completely", after the defender diverted Marcelo's cross into his own goal to break the deadlock at the Nou Camp in Sunday's first leg.

Busquets, however, said Segura should not have focussed on his team mate after the heavy defeat by Barcelona's rivals.

"The play (Pique's own goal) was bad luck. We lost 3-1 because we committed some errors and they were very good when it came to finishing," Busquets told a news conference on Tuesday.

"You don't lose because of one play. (This is) not the way to express yourself and even less so from inside the club, singling out a player."

Busquets said Barcelona needed to make signings after the first-leg defeat and reiterated that on the eve of the return at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Catalans on Monday agreed a 40 million euros (36.48 million pounds) deal to sign Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder Paulinho.

Busquets, however, is still hoping for further reinforcements, especially after Paris St Germain signed Neymar for 222 million euros (202.47 million pounds) earlier this month.

"There's only one Neymar. We have to look forwards," said Busquets. "With Neymar leaving we need, above all, attacking players.

"We have a good team, we're capable of having a great season, that's what we're focussing on. We want to convince the fans but the off-the-field situation is not up to me. I hope a lot of signings come and that they are of the highest quality."

Coach Ernesto Valverde believes Barcelona can still win the Super Cup, saying his side do not feel weaker than Madrid.

"Clearly we start from behind, but looking at the statistics nothing is impossible," said the coach. "No… I'm not going to say (Madrid are superior).

"Maybe at certain times, as they showed on Sunday when they took their chances. But does that mean they're better than us? No, I don't think that's a conclusion which should be drawn."





(Editing by Toby Davis)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world