What Pere Romeu said ahead of the Women’s Champions League final | OneFootball

Barcelona head coach Pere Romeu says his side have used the pain of last season’s final defeat to sharpen their approach for this year’s UEFA Women’s Champions League showpiece. Barça face OL Lyonnais in Oslo after returning to the final with eight wins and two draws from 10 games in Europe this term.

Reflecting on the 1-0 loss to Arsenal in Lisbon last year, Romeu was clear that Barcelona fell short of their usual level, according to UEFA’s official website.

“In that game, we didn’t stick to what we’d been doing previously. We didn’t link up much in possession and we didn’t switch the play much. We were too passive when it came to trying to win the ball back.

“Those were all aspects in which we excelled [throughout the season], but if you watched the final, you would have thought our team never did that or didn’t know how to do it.”

And Romeu said the key now is to carry those lessons forward without becoming trapped by them.

“If we focus on what we didn’t do that day, we’ll stray from what we want to do now: keep performing well, playing as a team, and keep showing a competitive, perfectionist version of ourselves, both individually and as a team.

“You can’t underperform in a Champions League final – the slightest lapse of concentration can cost you a goal.”

Pere Romeu: Small details will make the difference

And the Barcelona coach also spoke about the figures who could shape the final – from captain Alexia Putellas to the returning Aitana Bonmatí, whose comeback was a major lift after the semi-final win over Bayern. There has already been plenty of focus on Barça’s route through the last four in the UWCL semi-finals and on Bayern’s domestic form before facing Barcelona.

“Her vision, her perception, her intuition [stand out]. She’s someone who’s attentive to everything, who knows when to ask you how you’re doing,” he said of Putellas. “She’s a supportive person, a real leader in that respect. She’s someone who, out on the pitch, demands a lot from people in terms of giving 110 per cent.”

On Bonmatí, Romeu added: “It’s very important for us that she’s available for these final weeks of the season.”

And on facing former Barcelona boss Jonatan Giráldez – now in the Lyon dugout – he said: “He knows me down to a tee, and I know him down to a tee too. It’s a final so small details will make the difference.”

The final in Oslo adds another chapter to one of the competition’s defining rivalries, with Lyon having beaten Barcelona in the 2019 final and again in the 2022 decider. Barça, who knocked Lyon out in the 2024 semi-finals, now have the chance to respond on the biggest European stage once more.