Barcelona fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Sevilla in a Copa del Ray cup tie last time out as Lionel Messi was left out of the starting lineup atEstadioRamon Sanchez Pizjuan.
As Barcelona’s starting lineup for the game was revealed, the fans got shocked seeing that their main man has been omitted from the starting lineup.
Goals from Pablo Sarabia and Wissam Ben Yedder were enough for Sevilla to see off a relatively weak Barcelona team that was without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Many came for the manager’s head at the sound of the final whistle but the Blaugrana tactician was quick to silence them stating that he had no regrets leaving Messi from the team.
Barcelona will now be forced to overcome a two goal deficit when the two sides clash at the Nou Camp for the second leg of the game. The game will be played on January 30 and the Catalans now face a herculean task.
Asked if he would play a stronger side for the game’s second leg, Valverde expressed uncertainty with his team playing Girona in the La Liga three days before the Sevilla game.
He insisted that he is not sure whether huge changes will be made and we will have to wait till then, stating that he will make the right decision when it is time.
As we can deduce from all of these, the Barcelona head coach seems to prioritize the La Liga as they remain ahead of the chasing pile, five points clear of Atletico Madrid in second place.
Next up for the Catalans is a trip to Girona for a La Liga crunch clash on 27 January.