Barcelona star calls out own teammates following El Clasico defeat – “I wish there was more frustration and anger”

Barcelona’s defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico was a bitterly disappointing one for the Catalans, who had led the match for the majority courtesy of Ilkay Gundogan’s early opener, before Jude Bellingham’s second half brace ensured the three points would be heading back to the Spanish capital.

Gundogan was one of the main protagonists for Barcelona during Saturday’s encounter, and he was bitterly disappointed by the defeat. Speaking to Optus Sport post-match, he admitted his surprise that some of his own teammates weren’t as passionate about the loss as they perhaps should have been.

“I have to be honest, I wish this defeat hurt us more. I was in the dressing room, and of course people are disappointed, but especially after losing such a big game, I wish there was more frustration and anger.

“This is a problem. There has to be more emotion, especially when you lose. You know that you can perform better, especially in certain situations, and you just don’t react. We need to have a huge step in that, otherwise Real Madrid or even Girona will run away from us.”

Ilkay Gundogan called out his Barcelona teammates for their lack of passion after the club's El Clasico loss 😳

'I didn't come here to lose these type of games'.

The details | https://t.co/FUXjAIXgLP#LALIGA #OptusSport pic.twitter.com/0mqGGOOaEx

— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) October 29, 2023

It is surprising to hear that some Barcelona players weren’t devastated by the defeat, although football will certainly be more of a job, rather than a passion, for some compared to others. For Gundogan, the latter is more than true.