Barcelona boss Luis Enrique sarcastically claimed Javier Mascherano’s red card against Eibar proved “protests are punished more than fouls”.
The midfielder was given his marching orders in the latter stages of Sunday’s match at Camp Nou, which ended 3-1 to the Catalans, as he was seen dissenting towards referee Carlos del Cerro Grande, but the Coach felt the incident paled in comparison to Los Armeros’ physical approach.
“We gifted [Eibar] the first goal through an unfortunate piece of play,” he said after the game.
“At the moment, we’re being punished for any mistakes we make. We must try minimising them to the fullest.
“[On the referee’s perceived leniency towards Eibar and Mascherano’s red card], we’ve seen the best example that protests are punished more than fouls.
“[On Mascherano’s red card], he didn’t address the referee or his assistant. It would be grave if we lost him for four games.
“I brought on [Jeremy] Mathieu because I thought we needed to distribute the ball better from the back.
“We know [Luis] Suarez’s importance [after his hat-trick].
“He may or may not be successful [in front of goal], but he’s priceless and non-negotiable for all that he gives us. He’s an irreplaceable player.”
