Bakero slams Barça's midfield woes and leadership vacuum after Girona defeat
Barcelona legend José Mari Bakero offers brutal assessment of his former club's performance against Girona, dismissing referee complaints as a 'vicious circle'.
Former Barcelona hero José Mari Bakero has delivered a scathing critique of the Catalan giants following their 2-1 defeat to Girona, highlighting fundamental issues with the team’s structure and mentality rather than focusing on controversial refereeing decisions.
Midfield mess
The Kaiserslautern legend, who donned the Blaugrana shirt from 1988 to 1996, didn’t mince his words when analyzing Barça’s performance during an appearance on radio show ‘El Larguero’.
Bakero was particularly unimpressed with Barcelona’s engine room:
- De Jong, Fermín and Olmo combination “not working at all”
- None of the midfielders offering proper positional discipline
- Center of the pitch described as “very open” and vulnerable
Rather than a tactical tweak, Bakero suggests the issues run deeper into the squad’s character and composition.
Leadership vacuum
The former midfielder highlighted a concerning lack of leadership within the current Barcelona squad, noting the team appeared to be “without energy” from the 10th minute onwards at Montilivi.
“It’s a very young team without leadership,” observed Bakero, pointing to a pattern where Barcelona flourishes when things are going well but crumbles when facing adversity.
The absence of strong personalities capable of stepping up during difficult moments appears to be a critical weakness in Xavi’s squad according to the Barcelona legend.
Referee rows
While Barcelona figures have pointed to decisions by referee César Soto Grado as contributing factors in the defeat, Bakero takes a refreshingly different stance on the officiating controversies.
“I get angry about things I can improve,” stated the 60-year-old, dismissing the constant focus on referees as counterproductive.
In what might be seen as a thinly-veiled message to his former club’s current leadership, Bakero concluded that “talking about referees every weekend is a vicious circle” – suggesting Barcelona would be better served addressing their own shortcomings rather than looking for external excuses.
The defeat leaves Barcelona trailing further behind in the title race, with questions mounting about whether the current squad has the mental fortitude to bounce back.