adminMADRID. — Newly promoted Alaves stunned Spanish soccer champions Barcelona by winning 2-1 at the Camp Nou on Saturday as boss Luis Enrique paid a heavy price for starting Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on the bench. Barca now trail Real Madrid by three points at the top of the table after Cristiano Ronaldo took just five minutes to score on his return from a two-month injury layoff in a 5-2 rout of Osasuna at the Bernabeu.
Barca boss Enrique admitted he must take responsibility for the Spanish champions’ shock 2-1 home defeat to newly promoted Alaves after starting Messi and Suarez on the bench.
Enrique made seven changes on Saturday after many of his squad returned to club duty after taking part in World Cup qualifiers around the world in the past week, whilst Messi was also struggling with a minor groin injury.
“I am the one ultimately responsible for all the bad things that happen,” said the Barca boss after suffering just his fifth home league defeat in three seasons in charge at the Camp Nou.
“Many of the changes came from the circumstances surrounding us, but we have 22 players and we are going to use everyone this season.” As well as leaving out Messi and Suarez, Enrique changed his entire back four, whilst goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and striker Paco Alcacer made their debuts.
“It wasn’t a good day from the start, we weren’t precise enough,” said Enrique.
“On the day we weren’t fluid in attack, we were fragile in defence. They had three shots on goal and scored two goals.”
His wholesale changes backfired as Barca failed to unlock Alaves’s mass ranks of defence before the break and went behind when Deyverson turned Kiko Femenia’s cross past Jasper Cillessen on his Barca debut.
Neymar was the only one of Barca’s star “MSN” front three to start on his first appearance of the season after leading Brazil to Olympic gold and should have levelled moments later when he failed to hit the target with a free header inside the area.
The Brazilian provided the assist as Jeremy Mathieu headed home Barca’s equaliser from a corner a minute after the break and the French defender somehow blasted wide with the goal gaping moments later. — AFP.
Online Reporter