Barça News
Papers: The unjust VAR takes Real Madrid to victory over Barcelona
Once again, Barcelona were unable to beat Real Madrid in El Clásico at the Camp Nou, following last year’s goalless draw with a 1-3 defeat on the weekend. And as per usual, controversy reigned in LaLiga as VAR took the spotlight.
That is mostly all the papers are talking about this morning. Mundo Deportivo say the video assistant referee was unjust and damaged Barcelona’s chances in the game.
Not only that but they claim it clearly favours Madrid and is against the Catalans, who have suffered multiple bad decisions since its introduction. They also mention the fact that Philippe Coutinho won’t be available for the clash against Juventus in the Champions League.
SPORT are going even further, saying that the referee, Martínez Munuera, is a proclaimed Madridista.
The residents of Benidorm, where he is from, have reportedly revealed the referee’s sympathies for Los Blancos. This, the paper claims, may have impacted his decision-making in the Clásico.
On top of that, his father seems to be the founder of a Madridista supporters club, which is further proof of where his allegiances lie.
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Ronald Koeman is well aware of the limitations concerning Ousmane Dembélé. The Frenchman is an incredible asset and a highly talented player. However, he is also injury prone and Barcelona can’t afford to use him relentlessly.
For that reason, the young winger has been on the bench for the last couple of games despite performing on a regularly high level whenever chosen to play. According to a new report from SPORT, however, Dembélé is expected to start Barcelona’s upcoming Champions League clash against Ferencváros.
This is a direct result of another encouraging performance just the other night against Osasuna. The Frenchman came off the bench and even scored a great goal before it was ruled offside. We’ve also seen him play at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium against Atlético Madrid but back then, he sprained his shoulder so Koeman had to be extra careful going into the next games.
But the main thing is that Dembélé is still very much an important part of the squad and offers a unique profile to the coach. For that reason, and seeing how he’s once again 100% fit, everything indicates he’ll be back in the gala XI on Wednesday, as SPORT suggest.
This, needless to say, is a rather encouraging sign for a player who was so close to leaving the club during the summer transfer window.
Long may it continue!