Gerard Pique and Antoine Griezmann’s frustration turned into an argument on the pitch, with Barcelona’s 4-1 defeat of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Pique, making his first appearance since a knee ligament injury in November, shouted at his teammates to “keep the ball for longer” as they prepared to defend a corner. Griezmann responded by telling him to calm down.
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“F —— hell, Grizi,” Piqué shot back. “No. M ———–. We are suffering. We have been [pinned] back for five minutes. F —— hell, we’re running like crazy. “
Griezmann replied, “Don’t yell at me, m ———–! I’m suffering too and I’m running like crazy.”
The two slowed down when goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen reminded his team-mates of their defensive duties as PSG prepared for the game.
The discussion took place just before the break, when the score was still 1 to 1, after Kylian Mbappe canceled Lionel Messi’s penalty.
PSG, and especially Mbappe, slowed down after the break, with the striker completing his hat-trick and Moise Kean also in sight, as the Ligue 1 champion took a big step towards the quarter-finals before the second leg in Paris, on March 10. The defeat evoked memories of recent European defeats to Rome, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
Griezmann returned to France after Barça players had two days off after the defeat, causing controversy in the local media. When he was approached by reporters at the airport on Tuesday night, the Barça striker said it was none of their business where he was going.
The defeat for PSG leaves Barça on the verge of a second consecutive season without trophies. They are eight points behind Atletico Madrid in La Liga, after playing another game and losing 2-0 to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey knockout round in the semifinal.
Despite this, coach Ronald Koeman said it was “crazy” to suggest he should consider resigning and reminded fans that it will take time to see the benefit of the changes Barça is going through.
“Things are missing, of course, but I never thought before this game that we didn’t have,” he said. “It’s not the end of the road. I seem to be more realistic than everyone else.”
Koeman’s comments came on the same day, former midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who coached Al-Sadd in Qatar, reiterated his desire to take over the Nou Camp in the future.
“Everyone sees me as the coach of Barça one day,” said Xavi. “I respect Barça a lot and I also have respect for Koeman, the current coach.
“But I hope [to return as coach]. I will not hide it, but with respect to the current club management team, which is in the middle of [three] competitions and I wish them the best. “
A new president will be elected at Camp Nou on March 7 and, depending on the results, may decide to appoint his own coach.
“We will see who arrives as president next month,” added Xavi. “But of course it is a dream to coach Barça. There is no doubt about that.”