De Jong criticizes referee’s attitude in Barça’s defeat against Real Sociedad

De Jong Criticizes Referee’s Attitude After Barcelona Defeat

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong expressed his dissatisfaction with the attitude of referee Jesús Gil Manzano after his team’s defeat against Real Sociedad, which ended a streak of 11 consecutive victories. Mikel Oyarzabal and Gonçalo Guedes scored for Real Sociedad, while Marcus Rashford scored for Barcelona. The defeat reduced Barcelona’s lead at the top of LaLiga over Real Madrid to a single point. Barcelona questioned the decision to disallow a goal by Lamine Yamal for offside in the first half, but De Jong, as captain, was more annoyed by the referee’s behavior.

“You can’t even talk to the referee. I don’t understand it. And I’m the captain. I tried to talk to him and he looks at me with a face as if he were better than me. It’s very frustrating. You can’t behave like that,” De Jong declared.

Frenkie de Jong

De Jong also questioned the added time by Gil Manzano, who whistled the end of the match right at the end of the nine additional minutes. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick backed De Jong’s comments.

“I heard what Frenkie said and he’s right. But I don’t want to waste energy on this guy. Everyone on television and in the stadium saw his performance. We have to accept it. That’s how it is,” Flick stated.

Hansi Flick

On a rainy night in San Sebastián, Barcelona lamented the missed opportunities, with three goals disallowed and four balls hitting the post. Real Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo highlighted the intensity and heart of his players.

“What we did after receiving the 1-1 is also very special. We immediately went for the goal, scored the 2-1. And we defended, with ten men, with everything we had. Not everything is what you do with your feet, it’s the character we showed that led us to victory,” said Matarazzo.

Pellegrino Matarazzo

Carlos Soler was sent off for Real Sociedad, but Barcelona couldn’t find the equalizer. Flick was positive despite the defeat, highlighting his team’s good play.

“We played well, we were unlucky. We have to accept it. Some days are like that, you don’t know how you lose, this is one of those days. We have to focus on the next game now because we play every three days,” concluded Flick.

Hansi Flick

Flick admitted that his team needs to improve the defense, especially after the equalizing goal.