Former Barcelona striker Thierry Henry expressed sharp views on the Catalan side's exit from the UEFA Champions League. The team lost 2-3 on aggregate to Atletico in the quarter-finals.
Henry emphasized that Barcelona urgently needs high-level center-backs. He stated that while one could talk about refereeing for a long time, the main focus should be on analyzing their own game:
— Barca desperately needs very high-level defenders. We can talk about the refereeing all night, but we must also criticize ourselves. If nothing changes, we will see the same situation in the next 10 years, and that would be a serious problem, he said. According to Henry, there are systemic flaws in the team that must be resolved quickly.
He specifically noted that playing with a high defensive line is creating constant risks for Barcelona. Even when the team dominates, giving opponents too many opportunities causes difficulties in the knockout stages:
— Playing with a high defensive line in games of such magnitude makes the situation very complicated. This gives the opponent chances even when Barcelona is dominating, which is why it becomes very difficult to progress through the playoff stages, Henry said.
Henry mentioned that he has been warning about this for several years. In his opinion, the lack of stability makes it difficult to achieve high-level results:
— I have been saying this for two years. Unfortunately, this team urgently needs elite-level center-backs by next season. If you don't have the endurance or speed to cover empty spaces on the field, you put yourself in a very difficult position. This is not just an unlucky night, but a systemic problem that needs to be solved quickly, he concluded on CBS.
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