Granada midfielder on Barcelona’s disallowed goal in 2-2 draw: “It is the right decision”

Former Barcelona midfielder Gerard Gumbau, currently playing for Granada, has said that last night when these two sides played, he did not get the feeling that he is facing Barcelona.

The 28-year-old cited that he just did not feel it because of the way the Blaugrana were defending.

Barcelona looked fatigued

Barcelona found themselves 0-1 down inside the first 30 seconds and by the stroke of half hour, it was 2-0 for Granada. 

Now, Barcelona did manage to salvage a point at the end but given Granada’s run of form this season, it was far from a convincing performance.

“Yesterday Barcelona gave me the feeling that they were not comfortable at the back and with how we were defending,” Gumbau told Gerard Romero. 

“You have to be very precise and strong to maintain that, also maybe they were a bit tired from the Champions League match,” he added.

The 28-year-old added that when you face a team like Barcelona, you have to approach the game differently and an early lead is always an ideal scenario.

“When you face a team like Barcelona, ​​you have to play a match to stop the game and collide with them, and make them uncomfortable. In a match with high pressure, to take the lead in the first 17 seconds is an ideal scenario,” he explained.

Gavi is frustrating to play against

Despite the draw, midfielder Gavi was a sheer threat to the Granada defence. Slotted alongside Ilkay Gundogan and Fermin Lopez, the youngster made five tackles, had two successful dribbles and attempted two shots.

While speaking about his performance, Gumbau said that playing against Gavi is so frustrating.

“You don’t know what it’s like to play against Gavi. He’s very exasperating. He’s hyperactive, he has a competitive spirit and gene that gets you heated up when you’re going at a thousand revs,” he said.

Lastly, the 28-year-old also talked about the controversial calling off of Barcelona’s potential winner. During the added minutes of the second half, Joao Felix appeared to have scored the winner, but referees concluded that Ferran Torres, who was offside in the buildup, disrupted the course of the play.

“Joao Felix’s goal was rightly disallowed for me. Ferran has an influence, the minimum, but he has an influence.

“The referees told us at the beginning of the season that if there was a little bit of interference and the action was done to contest the ball, no matter how much doubt there was, it was going to be whistled.

“I think if we were denied this goal it would make me very angry, but for me not counting it is the right decision,” he concluded.