Sergio Busquets says Tuesday was an absolute "failure" for Barcelona as the Spanish side collapsed once again in the Champions League, falling 4-0 to Liverpool on Tuesday.
Barcelona went into Tuesday's clash at Anfield nursing a 3-0 lead after Lionel Messi helped guide his side to a battering of Liverpool at the Camp Nou.
That lead unraveled rapidly, beginning with an early goal from Divock Origi, even if Barcelona still looked comfortable for a majority of the first half.
The second half was a whole other story, with Georginio Wijnaldum scoring a pair of goals off the bench after replacing an injured Andrew Robertson.
But Origi's goal, the fourth and final finish, was the most damning, as Barcelona switched off on a corner kick, allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold to quickly slide a pass into the Belgian star, who sat all alone in the box.
The loss marked the second consecutive season that Barcelona has thrown away a massive first leg lead, having fallen apart in a 3-0 defeat following a 4-1 win over Roma in last year's semi-final.
And Busquets admits that his side was simply not up to the task from the opening whistle once again, and that is why they're heading out of the competition once again with a loss that looked very much like last year's.
"They have been better than us, they have gone for the match since the beginning, they have pressed well in the beginning of the two halves and it has been very difficult," Busquets told Movistar Plus.
"We have not been able to make the chances. We apologize because after Rome this happens again... There's little more (to say).
"When a team plays you by pressing so high, if you do not take advantage, they grow in their field, with their atmosphere and the goals they are making. We have had chances to score, it would have changed everything."
"The 4-0? A failure of all of us for being distracted, they were smarter than us."
Barcelona have already won La Liga as they head into the final two matchdays of the season against Getafe and Eibar.
