Atletico Madrid managed to beat its rival and host, Barcelona, 2-1 in the match between the two teams in La Liga.
Atletico Madrid’s points tally increased to 41 points after today’s victory, placing them in first place in the La Liga standings, while Barcelona remains in second place with 38 points.
Barcelona will play their next match against Getafe on January 18 at Getafe’s home ground, while Atletico Madrid will face Osasuna at the Metropolitano Stadium.
According to information from the Spanish newspaper “El Nacional”, Barcelona president Joan Laporta is extremely angry about the loss to Atletico Madrid, the loss of the lead, and the poor form of the Catalan team, which has earned only 5 points out of the last 21.
After the match, Laporta went straight to the team’s locker room and spoke angrily, in an unprecedented manner, with Hansi Flick, holding him responsible for the team’s consecutive failures due to his continued reliance on Polish striker Robert Lewandowski.
The newspaper stated that Laporta warned Flick that if this situation continued, it would eventually lead to his immediate dismissal without hesitation. Laporta told him, “I do not want to see Lewandowski in Barcelona’s starting lineup in the coming period.”
The newspaper also mentioned that despite his extreme anger over the loss that evening, Laporta went directly to Barcelona’s fighting star, Pedri, and consoled the Spanish player, telling him, “You fought alone tonight. I hope the other 11 players are like you.”
The newspaper added that Hansi Flick also exploded angrily in the face of Polish player Robert Lewandowski and his teammate Marc Casado, holding them responsible for the painful loss against Atletico Madrid.
Flick believes that Lewandowski’s missed clear chances have caused the collapse of the team’s season, depriving them of many points that were almost guaranteed.
The newspaper concluded that Flick will lead a comprehensive reform and restructuring within Barcelona in the coming period to restore the balance the team has been lacking in La Liga.