A disappointed Lionel Messi called Barcelona “inconsistent” and “weak” after Thursday’s loss to Osasuna that allowed Real Madrid to claim its first La Liga title since 2017.
Barça’s surprise 2-1 loss at home to Osasuna, along with Madrid’s 2-1 victory against Villarreal, moved Zinedine Zidane’s team seven points ahead at the top of the table with just one game to go. travel.
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Messi said that Madrid deserves credit for winning all 10 games since the resumption of La Liga in June to prevent Barça from achieving three titles in a row, but he criticized the performances of his team and asked for reflection throughout the club.
“We didn’t expect or wanted it to end this way, but it’s a reflection of our season,” Messi told Movistar after Osasuna ended Barça’s 42 game unbeaten streak at Camp Nou in the league.
“[We’ve been] An inconsistent and weak team that has been hit in intensity and desire. It has been easy to score goals against us.
“Madrid did what they had to do. They haven’t lost a game since the restart, which deserves credit, but we’ve helped them by eliminating points that we shouldn’t have eliminated.”
“We must be self-critical, starting with the players, but throughout the club. Madrid won all its games, but we are Barcelona and we are obliged to win every game. We have to look at ourselves, not the opposition, and the performances in games Recent have left a lot to be desired. “
Barça could still avoid a trophy-free first season since 2007-08 with success in the Champions League when Europe’s main competition resumes next month.
However, Messi says big changes will be needed before hosting Napoli in the return leg of their last 16 draw on August 8 after a 1-1 draw in Italy in February.
“I have said before that if we continued to play as we would, it would be difficult to win the Champions League and now it is clear that it was not even enough to win the League,” added the Barca captain.
“We have to change a lot because if we don’t, we will also lose against Napoli. We need a little time to clear our heads and then think about the Champions League, which starts from scratch.”
Messi has no contract in 2021 and a report in Spain earlier this month suggested that he is considering his future at the club beyond then. Sources later confirmed to ESPN that a series of problems on and off the field have bothered him.
Losing the Madrid title is unlikely to help convince him to stay, and while he declined to comment on his own future, he acknowledged that the club’s supporters have a right to be unhappy.
“The fans are angry with everything that happened this season and it is normal, we are also angry,” he said. “It is normal that they feel this way and after the defeats against Rome and Liverpool [in the Champions League in 2018 and 2019], they are losing patience because we are not giving them anything. “
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