‘They were superior‘ — Mallorca manager explains why his side fell short against Barcelona | OneFootball

FC Barcelona picked up another three league points after beating RCD Mallorca in their matchday 23 clash on Saturday night. Goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Marc Bernal sealed the victory for the Catalan side.

The Blaugranes deserve full credit for this win, as they had to face a competent Mallorca side in this game. As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the coach of the Balearic team, Jagoba Arrasate, talked to the press after the game, and highlighted how his team was unable to beat Barcelona:

Further analyzing the encounter, the Mallorca coach said that his side performed well in the opening half:

“In the first half, we were very good. Despite them having possession, we conceded very little, basically just the goal from a rebound. And in attack, we showed composure to create enough chances to score, but we weren’t clinical. It was a shame to go into the break 1–0 down.”

Arrasate admitted that his team could not maintain the same level after the interval:

“We tried to maintain the level in the second half, but we couldn’t. Barça increased the tempo, were more precise, and it became difficult for us to provide cover. When we recovered the ball, we were tired. In the second half, they were superior.”

The Mallorca manager also praised La Masia graduate Jan Virgili and explained the reason behind his early substitution:

“At half-time, he told me he had a problem with his hamstring. He’s shown he’s a street footballer, full of confidence. He’s come to the Camp Nou and put in a very good performance. He threatened; he was involved in the best chances. He’s very young, we have to organize him and help him with some things, but it doesn’t matter to him whether he plays at the Camp Nou or any other ground.”

There is no doubt that Barcelona had a lot to do to get the full three points against Mallorca. Now, they have another difficult task awaiting them as they face Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final, and hopefully, they will be able to put in another good performance in that game.