Gerard Pique speaks following Bayern loss | OneFootball

Gerard Pique spoke to the media after Barcelona’s 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The Catalans were completely outplayed on the night, though some youngsters provided a silver lining to the performance.

Pique first commented on the situation in the current season. He said it would be a difficult year, referring to the transition that the club is in: “It is what it is. These are the players we have available. We are going to end up competing, but it will be a difficult year.”

Speaking on the game itself and the goals conceded by the Blaugrana, he said that the second goal came as a shock to the team: “The first goal was unfortunate, and the second goal was a shock to us.”

Looking ahead to the tough schedule this month, Pique said that the team needs to win in the league to ensure that they stay in contention: “We have to try to win the league in order to keep up. This month is crucial.”

He was then asked about the path ahead and the realistic expectations from the campaign lying ahead, to which he replied: “Things in football change quickly, we are waiting to improve in the upcoming matches. I am sure that we will fight and compete for everything.”

The veteran centre-back also said that the team has other forwards who can help the team once they return from their respective injuries: “We have players like Ansu, Ousmane, Kun [Aguero]. They can help us.”

The second captain also defended his teammate Sergi Roberto who went off to jeers and whistles from the Camp Nou crowd on the night:

“I would like to remind people that Roberto is not a full-back, but sacrifices to play there. He loves Barcelona in an unimaginable way. The public have their right to express their opinion, but it is bad to criticise a player who gives his all for the club,” defended Pique.

On whether the 8-2 in Lisbon played a part, he said: “I don’t think it was pressure on us, I think we competed well. Their team has experience and everything. Our team has new players, and maybe some of them play their first Champions League game.”

Pique concluded by addressing Barcelona not being favourites for the Champions League. He cited the example of Chelsea who won last year as underdogs. “We might not be favourites but it’s okay, look at Chelsea last season.”