Barcelona news: Luis Enrique blames Arda Turan for El Clasico draw
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has criticised Turkish international Arda Turan for his lapse of concentration in the El Clasico. Turan, who was introduced as a late substitute, gave away the free kick which led to Sergio Ramos’s equaliser. Enrique is unhappy with Turan and bemoaned his side's inefficiency to secure all three points as the Blaugrana were leading until the 90th minute of the game.
“I think we deserved to win this game, that’s why there’s big disappointment,” Enrique said. “We had it in our hands, we couldn’t close it off. In a game of this magnitude, it is difficult to control every aspect, but one of Madrid's main traits is their ability to draw games in the dying minutes. Today that continued. It cost us today at home and there's nothing more. I told them do not foul, and even less so if a Madrid player has his back to goal. Those instructions are quite clear and the coaches instructions are concise.”
Turan’s Barcelona career has never really got going and his future at the Camp Nou is uncertain. He has failed to establish himself as a regular in Enrique’s starting eleven and there are speculations that the 29-year-old might leave the club in the summer. The Barcelona manager also reckons that his side’s home form must improve and they need to consistently win games to have any hopes of retaining the La Liga crown.
“We’re a long way off what we want to be right now,” he said. “The only chance we have is to keep winning games and put pressure on them. We need to improve, especially at home.”
The much anticipated El Clasico's first half didn't live up to the expectations and the visitors were arguably the better side in the first 45 minutes. However, the Blaugrana turned the tables on in the second half as Luis Suarez fired the hosts into the lead. Neymar and Messi had the chances to put the game to bed, but they couldn’t make them count and they were left to rue those misses when Sergio Ramos headed home in the 90th minute to salvage a point for Real.
Barcelona still trail Real Madrid by 6 points and the reigning champions need to keep it tight at the back as their defensive fragilities were exploited in recent weeks. Blaugrana’s next fixture is against Borussia Monchengladbach in their last group game of the UEFA Champions league.