Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia react after Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona – ‘There’s still a long way to go’ | OneFootball

Last night, FC Barcelona players left Stamford Bridge with their heads down, after Chelsea outplayed them on their way to securing a 3-0 victory in the UEFA Champions League.

The Blues were dominant from the start, and things only got harder for Barcelona after they were reduced to ten men following Ronald Araujo’s red card close to half-time.

An own-goal from Jules Kounde handed Chelsea the lead before second-half goals from Estevao and Liam Delap secured their resounding victory.

Joan Garcia reacts

Speaking to the media after the game, Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia acknowledged that Barcelona could not cope with the intensity of Chelsea, even more so after going a man down.

“It was tough, it was already tough with eleven against eleven. With one less player, we tried to fight for the game. They have quality, and they know how to find the spaces,” he said.

Continuing, the 24-year-old shot-stopper pointed out: “They press very high, they bring intensity… at eleven against eleven we had our chances. In the end, it couldn’t be.”

Talking about the message Hansi Flick had for the team at half-time after Aruajo’s red card, Joan Garcia noted:

“The message at halftime was to put in the effort and take advantage of our opportunities, but their early goal disrupted our rhythm.”

Having failed to secure a clean sheet, the Barcelona goalkeeper insisted that there was still a long way to go in the competition.

“We want to keep a clean sheet as often as possible. We haven’t been able to in these last few matches. There’s still a long way to go,” he concluded.

Eric Garcia laments defeat

Eric Garcia struggled against Chelsea in midfield. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Eric Garcia, who started in midfield once again but endured a tough outing, echoed his teammate’s sentiments when it came to Chelsea’s superior intensity and pressing on the night.

“It’s a tough defeat. We started the game well. Then you concede from a set piece. In the second half, we wanted to hold on and hurt them on a counter-attack. The second goal hurt us,” he noted.

Explaining what went wrong for them, the Spanish defender remarked: “They were breaking our press. We didn’t adjust well. They would play out from the back with three players, and we would jump with the full-backs.

“They would find the free man, and we would be constantly chasing the ball.”

Concluding, the versatile star added: “We’ve experienced this in the matches we’ve played. We have to be a bit more competitive in these kinds of games. They go for the duels, for the second balls… If you don’t establish a strong presence, it’s almost impossible.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo