Cruyff Delighted With Barcelona’s Slip-Up

The Dutch legend was by no means disappointed with the Blaugrana’s shock loss at the weekend. If anything, it was quite the opposite.

Feb 23, 2009 8:57:33 PM

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De la Peña, Eto'o, Barcelona, Espanyol (MARCA)

The normally out-spoken and critical Johan Cruyff surprised everyone in his weekly column for El Periodico de Catalunya when he declared that he was happy his former club, Barcelona, stumbled to a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Espanyol last Saturday.

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While many were expecting the Dutch maestro to lambaste Pep Guardiola’s charges, he remained composed and collected in his words as he chose to look at the brighter side of things.

“In a way, I am happy with Barcelona’s defeat to Espanyol. It’s perfect because it serves as a warning to the players not to lower their guard,” AS quoted an excerpt from his piece.

He continued, “The loss also came at the right time because we can still count on a seven point advantage over Real Madrid.

“To lose two games in 24 rounds of football is not a disaster, but rather a blessing in disguise. The more you win, the closer you get to losing,” he encouraged.

The ex-Barca coach did not attempt to be subtle when it came to finger-pointing.

“The mistakes from referee, Delgado Ferreiro and our goalkeeper, Victor Valdes cost us. But we also lost because the team did not know how to overcome Espanyol’s anti-football,” he theorised.

Barcelona will have a chance to redeem themselves tonight when they take on Lyon in the last 16 of the Champions League.  

KS Leong, Goal.com

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