Jakarta –
While still a player, Sergi Barjuan know what it feels like to fail to bring Barcelona qualify from the group stage Champions League. As a coach, he clearly did not want to suffer the same fate.
Sergi defended Barcelona in the period 1988-2002, with the first five years spent with the academy teams, Barcelona C and Barcelona B. When he broke into the senior team, he became a mainstay left back for the Blaugrana who won three LaLiga trophies, two Copa del Rey and one Cup. Winners.
But despite Barcelona’s status as a big team in Europe, there have been times when they have experienced a title drought, including Sergi’s last three seasons at Camp Nou. One of those dark periods occurred in the 2000/01 season.
at that time, Barcelona shattered in Champions League. They finished third in Group H, behind AC Milan and Leeds United. Sergi et al was wasted into the UEFA Cup, where their steps there were stopped in the semifinals by Liverpool who eventually became champions.
In the domestic arena, the fate of Barcelona is also not better. They were eliminated by Celta Vigo in the Copa del semifinals, while in La Liga they only finished fourth, behind Real Madrid, Deportivo La Coruna and Real Mallorca.
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Sergi (bottom center) was one of the Barcelona players who failed to qualify for the 2000/01 Champions League group stage. Photo: Getty Images/Clive Brunskill– |
Now Sergi back to Barcelona became interim coach, replacing former team-mate, Ronald Koeman. Incidentally, the club’s situation is also not good. The financial difficulties, coupled with the departure of Lionel Messi, made the results on the pitch bittersweet.
Specialized in Champions League, Barcelona have only won once and have lost twice, are third in Group E with three points, behind Benfica (4 points) and Bayern Munich (9 points). If you want to keep your chances of qualifying for the knockout phase, Barcelona must beat Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday (3/11) at 03.00 WIB.
There is no reason not to win, if you still want to penetrate the last 16. Especially for Sergi, he does not want to be part of a generation that has again tarnished Barcelona’s face by being eliminated early in the tournament. Champions League.
“Barcelona have an obligation to win (over Kiev). There have been bad periods, like the one we’re experiencing right now. But we have to keep winning. That’s the only way to earn the respect of your opponent. We have to make a statement (by winning),” Sergi said ahead of the match against Kiev Mark.
“Winning will bring happiness and change the attitude of the players to be positive. We have to be strong. I believe this squad is able to turn the situation around despite the storm of injuries,” explained Sergi Barjuan.
(adp/cas)
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