Barcelona reportedly held “crisis talks” for 20 minutes on Wednesday in wake of their 3-0 Champions League defeat to Juventus.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barca are in “a state of alert”, despite the players being not as “bruised” as they were by their 4-0 thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain in February.
The newspaper explains the flight back to Barcelona was “like a funeral”, while Lionel Messi was “enraged” with the Catalans’ lack of “defensive consistency” as the side tried to launch a comeback in the second half.
Luis Enrique also “said nothing” in the dressing room after the game, choosing to “release everything in front of the media”, although he was seen shouting expletives when addressing his players from the touchline and even hit his dugout in frustration.
That stance was contrasted by no Barca players coming out to face the Press in the mixed zone, whereas only Dani Alves – now a Juve player – went over to the Barca fans once the match was over.
President Josep Maria Bartomeu tried to lift morale in the dressing room, but “there was nothing special” about his attempts.
Jordi Alba, meanwhile, is “very upset” about being dropped from the Blaugrana’s XI and was “visibly angry” after he warmed up at Juventus Stadium but was ordered to return to the substitutes’ bench.
Although Enrique had demanded intensity from his players, they ran 9km in Turin – almost 2km less than the Bianconeri.
