Ronald Koeman feels the pressure on his shoulders as a coach of Barcelona is getting even heavier now that his team was unable to beat Cádiz (0-0) on Thursday evening. The Catalans played with one man less in the last half hour because Frenkie de Jong went off the field with his second yellow card and therefore red. Deep in injury time, Koeman was also sent off with a red card by referee Carlos del Cerro Grande. The trainer finds the decisions incomprehensible.
De Jong received his first yellow card in the 61st minute because of a swinging arm in the face of Cádiz midfielder Alberto Perea. A few minutes later, the referee considered an action by De Jong to be yellow, with Alfonso Espino going to the ground in a duel for the ball. Just before that, Memphis Depay had missed a huge chance to open the score on a pass from Luuk de Jong.
Frenkie de Jong has to get off with red! ????
Within a time frame of 6 minutes, the midfielder receives two yellow cards ??Just say it… Right? ??#ZiggoSport #LaLiga #CadizBarca pic.twitter.com/uLnh3GR6ag
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) September 23, 2021
“The second yellow card from Frenkie made it difficult for us. In this country they apparently send you away for nothing,” Koeman grumbled to Spanish media afterwards. “I didn’t get my red card because of a discussion with the referee. All I said to the fourth official was that the game had to be stopped because I saw a second ball on the field. Everyone saw that. In this country you get red for nothing,” said the trainer, who will not sit on the bench on Sunday afternoon due to his red card in the home game against Levante, the current number fourteen of LaLiga.
Despite the new loss of points, Koeman knew positive points. “I think the team has done well overall. We had the ball, but creating chances was difficult. Still, we had the better of the game. I can’t complain at all about the attitude of my players. We have done everything we can, but if you don’t score, you can’t win,” said Koeman, who can be found in seventh place with Barcelona, seven points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Ronald Koeman was sent off ?? pic.twitter.com/fBWUFpJFVG
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 23, 2021
“We needed a win, the team deserved it, but unfortunately that didn’t work out today. Hopefully on Sunday”, said Koeman, who will feel the pressure increasing now that the third game in a row has not been won. “Again: I can’t complain about the attitude of the boys. I understand that you always have to win prizes, but you also have to be realistic… I spoke to the president at the hotel. And if anyone from the club wants to talk to me, they can do so in the coming days.”
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