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Rediff.com  » Sports » Barca fans boo coach but players rally behind him

Barca fans boo coach but players rally behind him

February 21, 2017 09:40 IST
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Pique annoyed by Barca fans' booing of coach Luis Enrique

Barcelona fans

IMAGE: Barcelona supporters react. Photograph: Albert Gea/Reuters

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has decried the fans who booed manager Luis Enrique and the players in Sunday's laboured 2-1 home win over Leganes in La Liga as having a short-term memory.

The game was Barca's first since last week's 4-0 humiliation at Paris Saint Germain in their Champions League last 16, first leg - the worst defeat of Luis Enrique's coaching career.

Pique, a World Cup winner in 2010 and European champion in 2012 with Spain, said at a promotional event on Monday that the players and supporters owe Luis Enrique a debt of gratitude for all the success he has brought since taking the helm in 2014.

"When Luis Enrique arrived we were in the absolute s***," Pique said. "I would like that we remember all the work he has done with us and all that he did during his time as a player.

"I can't understand the booing, the short-term memory.

"It's eight titles out of (a possible) 10 with this coach.

"We are with him to the death."

Among the eight titles, Luis Enrique guided Barcelona to a La Liga, King's Cup and Champions League treble in 2014-15. They retained the La Liga and King's Cup titles last season.

Barca have again reached the King's Cup final, which will be played in May.

"We still have options in the three competitions, although in the Champions League it's very, very difficult," Pique said.

Barca will hope to become the first team to recover from a 4-0 first-leg deficit in Europe's elite club competition to progress when they host PSG on March 8 at the Camp Nou.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have work to do, according to Pique.

"We need to recover our game," he said. "We have been one-and-a-half months without playing the football that we're accustomed to. It's costing us more than usual. I'm certain the coach is in his office thinking about it."

Barca will fall four points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid on Wednesday if Zinedine Zidane's team win one of their two games in hand when they play at Valencia.

Pique is annoyed that supporters booed Barcelona when they needed a late Lionel Messi penalty to beat Leganes.

"Barca is the club of my life and I know how things go," he said. "I can understand the discontent but I'm not in agreement on how it's manifested."

Barca president Bartomeu and Iniesta back Luis Enrique

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and club captain Andres Iniesta have given their full support to under-pressure coach Luis Enrique.

Enrique has steered Barcelona to eight tournament triumphs since 2014 but is set for an early Champions League exit after the 4-0 last-16 drubbing at Paris St Germain last week, the most humiliating defeat of his coaching career.

Yet amid speculation that the coach may not now sign a new contract once his current deal expires this summer, Bartomeu offered him a resounding vote of support on Monday.

"Luis Enrique is the manager we want," the president told reporters. "He's done really well and we're satisfied with his work. There's no Plan B. The priority is still for Luis Enrique to continue.

"Remember that we're in one final and there's still a lot of the season to go and things to improve."

Iniesta acknowledged the defending Spanish champions were rattled after the defeat to PSG but backed the coach and team to restore the side's winning mentality.

"We have not lost confidence in ourselves nor in the manager," Iniesta told reporters. "I think it's a one-off situation we're going through."

Iniesta said it was understandable the team carried a Champions League hangover into the Leganes match.

"We knew it was going to be difficult after what happened in Paris. We're humans and these things affect us."

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Source: REUTERS
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