Barca's critical weakness exposed after thrilling victory

29/09/2025 08:02:00 soccer

Although Barcelona secured an important 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in La Liga, defender Jules Koundé openly expressed his frustration and candidly criticized the team's lack of solidity in the closing stages.

Speaking after the final whistle, Koundé emphasized that Barca revealed several worrying issues: “We lacked intensity, failed to track back defensively and couldn't block passes into the box, which cost us on the goal conceded.”

According to Koundé, Barca started well and controlled the match for most of the time. They created many chances and should have scored more than 2 goals. However, everything changed rapidly towards the end: “I wasn’t happy with our last 25 minutes. We came under too much pressure and lost control of the ball. For the previous 70 minutes, things were pretty good, and we had several opportunities to score more than 2 goals. I’m disappointed with how the game finished.”

Kounde không hài lòng với cách Barca thi đấu ở những phút cuối trận (Ảnh: X). — Koundé expressed dissatisfaction with Barca’s performance in the final minutes (Photo: X).

One of the key factors that helped Barca secure all 3 points was their effectiveness from set pieces. Koundé himself equalized at 1-1 from a corner before Barca completed their comeback. The defender highlighted: “I think it’s been quite a while since we’ve been solid both offensively and defensively on set pieces. This year, with additions like Rashford and Roony, we have players who excel at dead-ball situations.”

Besides the criticism, Koundé also showed optimism for the team’s future with the return of young talent Lamine Yamal from injury: “I’m very happy to see Lamine back playing because we will need him for the rest of the season.”

Kounde đánh đầu ghi bàn từ pha phạt góc của Rashford (Ảnh: X). — Koundé heads in a goal from Rashford’s corner (Photo: X).

The win over Real Sociedad allowed Barca to overtake Real Madrid and lead the La Liga table. However, Koundé’s warnings indicate that the Catalan side still has plenty to improve, especially in maintaining rhythm and focus until the final moments.

Securing 3 points doesn’t hide the fact that Barca allowed Real Sociedad to create many dangerous chances. Without improvement, upcoming big matches could become real challenges for coach Hansi Flick’s squad.

Related articles