Gerard Pique continues to be optimistic of potentially winning trophies in the 2021/22 season despite Barcelona’s crushing defeat to Bayern Munich this week.
Speaking in the aftermath of Barcelona’s 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, as quoted by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Gerard Pique has projected confidence over the possibility of enjoying success in the 2021/22 season, quoting the example of Chelsea from last season, and how an unheralded team won the UEFA Champions League.
Barcelona’s state of transition appears to be never-ending. 2019/20 saw them change managers midway through the season, only for Quique Setien’s short-term reign to end in disastrous fashion. Then, at the onset of the 2020/21 season, Ronald Koeman’s appointment brought about another transitional period before Joan Laporta’s return as the club president changed things once again.
Now, early in the 2021/22 campaign, Barcelona are trying to adjust to life without Lionel Messi and that has produced a mixed bag of results so far. While Memphis Depay appears to have been a solid addition to the first-team squad, some of the other signings have not been as inspirational.
That is perhaps the reason why Barcelona were outplayed at home by Bayern Munich this week in the UEFA Champions League, with the Blaugrana suffering a 3-0 defeat. However, despite the big loss, Gerard Pique remains optimistic of success in the season.
Speaking post the 3-0 drubbing, Pique said, “The result is bulky and playing at home, it is a bad result, we are not going to fool ourselves. But if you look at the game, I think that in the first half we have competed, they have advanced with a rebound goal.”
“In the second, the 0-2 hurts us, but in the end I don’t know how many 18-year-olds have entered and the team has competed and has shown their face. Now we are who we are, it is what we are, but I am convinced that as we recover players, we will end up competing.”
“We have people like Ansu, like Ousmane, like Kun… now we are not favorites, but football changes very fast, last season nobody was going to give Chelsea as favorites.”
Pique’s words do hold true in the sense that nothing can be taken for granted in football, not even failure. However, as things stand, it looks like Barcelona might need all of their major players to be fit at the clutch moments to have any chance of winning silverware, and Ronald Koeman will be eagerly waiting for the returns of Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele and Sergio Aguero.
