Valverde rocked by collapse
Ernesto Valverde admitted Barcelona had only themselves to blame for their “terrible” Champions League semifinal collapse at Liverpool on Tuesday.
Barca were blown away on an incredible night at Anfield as Liverpool won 4-0 to overturn a three-goal first-leg defeat.
Liverpool are only the third team in the history of the European Cup to recover from such a large semifinal deficit.
Barca boss Valverde conceded his players failed to match Liverpool’s intensity and lost their cool after the Reds scored twice in quick succession in the second half to level the tie on aggregate.
Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp celebrates after their miraculous 4-0 win. Photo: AFP
“Things got on top of us after those two quick goals. We didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet and they rolled us over really,” he said.
“It’s a terrible result for our fans and for ourselves. It’s really, really unfortunate, but credit to Liverpool.
“We tried to sit a little bit deeper, but the tie ended for us with the fourth goal. We couldn’t respond.”
It was a second successive Champions League humiliation for Barca after they squandered a 4-1 first-leg lead in the quarterfinals last season, going out on away goals to Roma after losing the return 3-0.
Valverde has just led Barca to another Spanish title, but he was asked if the collapse at Anfield would undermine his position at the Camp Nou.
“I do not know how it’s going to affect me, here we are, the coach has to take responsibility,” he said.
“It’s very painful for us, especially for our people, it’s the second year they’ve come back like that.”
The Catalan club haven’t won the Champions League since 2015.
