Pepe Mel lamented Real Betis for ‘lacking aggressiveness’ in their play to take advantage of ‘the weakest Barcelona we have played against’.
Los Beticos had a 2-1 lead at the half-time break of Sunday evening’s League encounter, only to see David Villa equalise soon into the second half and his replacement from the bench Lionel Messi net two for a 4-2 win for the Catalans.
“We could have gone from 3-2 to 3-3, but we conceded a fourth in the next play and the game was over,” lamented Mel post-match.
“Messi killed us. He comes on and the first ball he touches he scores with. That has made it possible mentally for them. This is the weakest Barcelona we have played against.
“The style of Messi’s first goal has influenced the mentality of the player and the stadium.
“Up until then, despite us leading, I have not seen a Betis that was aggressive. We did not do too many mistakes but we had to be more aggressive.
“If we do that and are fast, it is difficult to beat us. In the first half we have been lenient and soft in some plays that that is what has happened as a result.”
