Pique and Luuk de Jong speak out after Barça held to 2-2 draw at Osasuna

Barcelona’s unbeaten run in all competitions extended to three games as they were held to a 2-2 draw by CA Osasuna at Estadio El Sadar on Sunday.

Coming into the game after the disappointing defeat to Bayern Munich, Barca began well in Pamplona, with Nico Gonzalez handing the team the lead just 12 minutes in, but the hosts struck back two minutes later through David Garcia.

Youngster Ez Abde gave the Blaugrana the lead early in the second period but the team failed to control the game from that point on and a spirited Osasuna side were able to level things again, through Chimy Avila’s fierce strike from the edge of the box, to ensure that the spoils were shared.

While there were some positives for Xavi Hernandez & co., their opponents showed more intensity and desire, ultimately coming away with a point.

Speaking after the disappointing outcome, veteran defender Gerard Pique said: “I think we deserved to win, we are sad, we wanted the three points. We will keep fighting and I think with time the results will come even though we don’t have time, but I am convinced that we will get out of this situation.”

Pique added that it was important for the team to treat every upcoming game as a final in order to catch up to the top four. “Our goal is for the short term right now, we’re not looking at the long term. Every match is a final for us. We are far from the top positions, from now on we have to win each and every game,” he added.

The veteran defender also hailed the crop of youngsters coming through but insisted that the team is in a difficult place and need to spark a turnaround. “The goal is to think about the next match. We know in the future all these youngsters will help the club, but now we have to think about getting results. We have to keep on winning, we’re in a complicated situation”

Luuk de Jong, who got a rare start on Sunday, also echoed Pique’s opinion in stating that Barca deserved to win this game, but added that the team needs to just keep fighting on.

“I think we deserved to win, but in football you have to fight till the end. I think this is a mental issue, it hurts to lose the 3 points today. We dominated the game but Osasuna’s style, you know well. We need to be strong with the ball and keep playing. We have to keep fighting and keep our heads up,” the Dutchman said.

The 31-year-old striker, who could leave in January, was also full of praise for the youngsters, saying: “I think these youngsters have no limit, they are very talented. You really see how Nico, Gavi and Abde played today, they have high quality.”

Source: BarcaTV+