Ernesto Valverde, Barcelona’s manager, has claimed his side would have won the Copa del Rey last term if they hadn’t been beaten by Liverpool at Anfield…
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds famously destroyed Barca 4-0 at Anfield, with goals from Divock Origi and Gini Wijnaldum, and the Catalans haven’t been the same since.
In fairness, they’re top of La Liga – but every time any Barca players get an opportunity to discuss that fateful Anfield evening – they wallow in their misery of it!
“Until Liverpool. we were having an incredible Champions League,” Valverde said in an interview for Barcelona’s official website, cited in MARCA.
“At Anfield, we had chances but they scored early on and psychologically we started worrying that what happened in Rome might happen again.
“There was a moment of weakness and we paid for it. It was one of the toughest moments of the year.
“We must admit that the hit we took in Liverpool meant our morale was down going into the Copa [del Rey] final [against Valencia].
“If we’d won against Liverpool, we’d have won the Copa [del Rey] final too.”
We’d quite like to draw Barcelona again in this season’s Champions League – but it’s not something we have to worry about for some time – considering the Premier League fixtures before we face Atletico Madrid in the Last 16.
Tonight, it’s Leicester City at the King Power, before we host Wolves at Anfield on December 29.
Two wins from those games would be a tremendous end to one the best calendar years in the club’s history.
It’s not going to be easy considering the injuries we’re currently suffering – but Klopp’s Mentality Giants have proven nothing is beyond them.