The scoreboard reads semi-final qualification, but the mood inside Barcelona’s dressing room is far from celebratory. Despite advancing to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2019, a 3-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in Germany has left the team with more concern than joy.
Frenkie de Jong captured the squad’s mood with a mix of relief and disappointment. While fans may have anticipated jubilant reactions, the Dutch midfielder delivered a sobering assessment.
“We didn’t play well,” De Jong stated plainly. “A lot of us underperformed.” Though the aggregate scoreline of 5-3 favored the Catalan giants, De Jong was critical of their lack of focus and drive. “We can do much better than this,” he added. “Right now, it doesn’t feel like something to be proud of. Maybe tomorrow we’ll be happy about qualifying—but tonight, this performance stings.”
Robert Lewandowski echoed those sentiments with even more bluntness. Approaching his 100th goal in a Barcelona shirt, the striker didn’t hold back when addressing the team’s shortcomings.
“We lost control and kept giving the ball away,” he said. “You can’t play like that at this stage.” While acknowledging that Barça deserved to go through over both legs, Lewandowski emphasized that such sloppy play won’t be acceptable in the next round. “If we’re going to make these mistakes, it’s better we do it now—but we can’t afford them again. There’s no room for error anymore.”
The Polish striker added that the team’s own mistakes are causing unnecessary tension. “We’re making things harder than they need to be,” he admitted. “This can’t continue.”
The overall message coming from inside the camp is one of urgent self-reflection. Barcelona may have secured a place among Europe’s final four, but internally, they know the level of play must rise significantly. With tougher opponents ahead, the margin for error has vanished.
While fans may celebrate the club’s return to the latter stages of the Champions League, the players themselves are sounding an alarm: the job is far from done, and this kind of performance won’t take them much further. It’s a reality check before the real storm hits.
Leave a Reply