Getafe were rather unfazed by Barcelona’s complaints on Sunday night following their 0-0 draw with the Catalans, having gotten the result that they wanted.
Xavi Hernandez called the match a disgrace, called a handball given instead of a penalty ‘invented’, and called on Spanish football to change its time-keeping system. Getafe Manager Jose Bordalas was having little of it, claiming Xavi’s comments were simply a distraction from their failure to win.
Getafe goalkeeper David Soria was of a similar opinion.
“Last year it was the sun and the grass. This year, the referee. They always have an excuse,” he said reminding that late last season Xavi had questioned both the length of the grass and the decision to play during the heat of the Madrid sun following another 0-0 draw.
Soria said that his side would not simply roll over for Barcelona.
“They can’t come to our ground and we let them play until their heart’s content. We can’t play like them, but we have other qualities,” Soria told Cadena Cope, as carried by Sport.
And claimed that the gamesmanship was not entirely one-sided.
“Araujo threw himself on the ground for five minutes so that the play was reviewed by VAR, but nobody talks about that.”
“When a team is winning or has a positive result, they are not in a hurry.”
Certainly most teams in football will use whatever means necessary in order to get the result they desire, and Barcelona are included in that. Where perhaps there is a debate to be had, is how referees deal with time-wasting. While the match was played in its entirety, it was done so at a rhythm that suited Getafe throughout.
