Barcelona’s capitulation in La Liga has just made the title race all that more interesting. A 2-1 loss to Valencia at the Camp Nou on Sunday night saw the Catalan club’s lead reduced to just one point. And Fabio Capello has an explanation for why they are struggling.
The result was a shock upset as Barcelona had thrashed Valencia 7-0 in the Copa Del Rey semi-finals just 10 weeks ago. It was also the first time since October 2003 that Barcelona had lost two consecutive league games at the Camp Nou after losing 1-2 to Real Madrid in the Clasico.
Luis Enrique’s side were also dumped out of the Champions League as they looked to become the first team in the UCL era to defend the title. League title rivals Atletico Madrid had managed to win 3-2 on aggregate in midweek.
Barcelona are now on 76 points while Atletico are also on 76 points with the Catalan club on top thanks to the head-to-head record (they won 2-1 on both occasions). Real Madrid are only a point behind on 75 points with all teams having played 33 games.
Barcelona lack a captain like Carles Puyol: Capello
The former Real Madrid manager recalled how they were in a similar situation as Zinedine Zidane’s side back in the 2006/07 season. At the time, Barcelona were six points ahead but a run of poor results saw Los Blancos catch up. It went down to the final day where both teams finished with 76 points but Real Madrid won the title due to the head-to-head record.
“This time, the comeback has happened really quickly,” Capello said at a press conference prior to the 2016 Laureus World Sports Awards.
“Barca have lost a lot of points and are now in great difficulty. When we did it, we went step by step, quietly, right up until the last day of the season. We also had the advantage of the head-to-head.”
Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-0 and drew 3-3 in the other game which gave them the superior head-to-head record.
“You can’t tell what will happen now and it’s possible that Barca will get back on track, both physically and mentally,” Capello continued.
“But I think a captain in the mould of [Carles] Puyol to pull them along is needed.” Puyol was also present on the stage during the press conference.
The former defender was one of the club’s finest captains and a club legend. He captained the club during the glory years after taking over the armband in 2004 and held on to it until his retirement in 2014. Barcelona won six league titles and three Champions League titles in that period.
“We managed to win the league,” Capello said. “I don’t know who’ll do so this time.”
