Ter Stegen, de Jong, Garcia react after Almeria 1-0 Barcelona: “More than just a warning”

After a stunning 18-game unbeaten run, Barcelona suffered their second defeat in a row as they were beaten 1-0 by UD Almeria away at the Power Horse Stadium in La Liga.

The Blaugrana had an excellent opportunity to stretch their lead at the top of the table to ten points after Real Madrid could not defeat Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

However, a dull and disappointing display from Xavi’s men meant that they could not pounce on the opening left by their bitter rivals.

Speaking after the match, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who saw his La Liga clean sheet run break, insisted that it was more than just a warning for Barcelona to pull up their socks and ensure there are no slip-ups moving forward.

“This is more than just a warning. We should have done our job. We were left with the feeling that we could do something more. We have to do self-criticism and see what needs to be improved,” the German international said.

Ter Stegen insisted that Real Madrid’s draw last night did not relax Barcelona, saying: “Madrid’s draw did not relax us, it’s the other way around, actually.”

“Losing is always painful. We need to calm down, charge energies, and look forward,” the fourth captain added.

Meanwhile, Frenkie de Jong, who was one of the few positives for Barcelona on the evening, expressed his dismay at the outcome of the match, saying:

“We’re very disappointed. We had the chance to go 10 points clear. We didn’t expect to lose here. Almería defended very well, but we had to do better.”

On whether the upcoming Real Madrid game was playing on his mind during the match, he added: “No. La Liga is an important tournament, every single upcoming match is important. Things just didn’t work out. We have to improve and keep going.”

Eric Garcia, who was one of the four changes made by Xavi for the game, endured a disappointing outing. The defender revealed that the manager had warned them at half-time about things going south, as he said:

“Xavi told us at half-time: If we don’t match their intensity, winning will be impossible. In the end, we have to congratulate them.”

But the Spaniard urged the team to focus on the upcoming Copa del Rey semi-final clash against Real Madrid, saying: “We have an important match on Thursday, and we must remain focused.”

Source: BarçaTV+