Pedri pleads with ‘half-asleep’ Barcelona to ‘turn it around’

Midfielder Pedri said Barcelona must turn things around quickly as their alarming run of form continued with a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Leganés on Sunday.

Sergio González’s fourth-minute goal was the difference between the two sides as Barça failed to win for the fifth time in their last six league matches.

During that run they have picked up just five points from a possible 18 and their lead at the top of the table has evaporated. They are now level on points with Atlético Madrid, who they host next weekend, and are one point clear of Real Madrid, while both Madrid sides have a game in hand.

“It was a bad game, it’s impossible to be happy,” Pedri told reporters after the defeat. “I think we started the game half asleep. We woke up and created chances, but we didn’t have the spark we needed to get the goal.

“We have to be better in front of goal if want to pick up points. We’re on a bad run in the league and we have to turn it around.”

It was Leganés’ first away win in LaLiga this season, while Barça have now lost their last two matches at the Olympic Stadium following defeat to Las Palmas two weeks ago.

Barça have remained in good form in the Champions League, though, winning five out of six games in the competition, including 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund in midweek, and Pedri hopes they can bring their European performances into the league.

“We have had a lot of games in a row, but it’s not an excuse, we have to finish with the same confidence we have done in the Champions League,” he added. “If you don’t score goals in football, it’s impossible to win.”

González’s early goal paved the way for a Barça onslaught, but they could not find a way past visiting goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic. The Blaugrana ended the game with over 20 shots, with Lewandowski accounting for six of them and chalking up an xG of 1.65 on his own.

With Hansi Flick suspended, assistant coach Marcus Sorg filled in on the touchline for the German, and he conceded Barça’s young side may have to get used to ups and downs this season.

“In LaLiga, it’s very hard and at the moment we struggle in the games,” Sorg said in a news conference. “Today, especially in the first 10 minutes, we haven’t focused like always, or sometimes [like we have] in the Champions League.

“We conceded a goal and after that the team tries everything to create goals. We created a lot of chances, I think 21 and five or six were really good chances, and that’s the problem. We have to learn about it and the players [have to get] used to playing every three to four days.

“We are definitely not happy about the form now. But sometimes you have to accept if you want to build a team, in the process there are up and downs.”

Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal hurt his ankle in the first half, but played on until the latter stages of the second half. He will undergo tests on Monday to see if there is any long-term damage.

Barça will hope to have him available for their final game of 2024, at home to Atlético next weekend. The Catalan side’s poor run of results, coupled with Atlético winning six in a row, mean they go into that game level on points at the top of LaLiga.