"I have given up", "Needs to leave ASAP" - Barcelona fans want veteran star to leave club after poor performance in win over Villarreal
Barcelona fans want captain Sergi Roberto gone despite their club's thrilling 4-3 La Liga win at Villarreal on Sunday (August 27).
In a thrilling clash at the Estadi de la Ceramica, the La Liga holders led 2-0 after 15 minutes. Gavi opened the scoring inside 12 minutes, converting a Lamine Yamal cross. Three minutes later, Robert Lewandowski's backheel found Frenkie de Jong, who doubled the advantage three minutes later as Barca bossed proceedings.
However, Villarreal hit back through Juan Foyth, who reduced arrears from an Alex Baena corner in the 26th minute. Five minutes before the break, the hosts were on level terms, with Alexander Sorloth firing home.
Five minutes into the second half, Baena put Villarreal in front. However, Ferran Torres (68') and Lewandowski (71') ensured that Barca took the win to move third in the standings after three games.
Despite the win, fans were far from pleased with Sergi Roberto's performance, with one tweeting:
"I have given up on Sergi Roberto. I supported him before but I think it's now obvious he is not our level again."
Another chimed in:
"Sergi Roberto needs to leave ASAP"
Here are the top reactions on X:
It's pertinent to note that Roberto had also drawn flak from fans for his performance in a pre-season game with Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month.
"We had the game under control" - Barcelona manager Xavi after Villarreal game
Barcelona remain unbeaten three games into the new La Liga season with a frantic come-from-behind win in a seven-goal thriller at Villarreal. They have won two of their three games and drawn the other.
Despite the win, Barcelona manager Xavi knows that his team frittered away a position of advantage and almost paid heavily for it. In his press conference after the win at the Ceramica, the tactician said (as per 'AS'):
“It was (crazy). It was crazy because of our fault. We had the game under control. They had 10 minutes. At 0-2 up, we gave away too much. They drew level because of our mistakes."
"In the middle of the game, we went 3-2 down from a counter, and from then on, we played well. The result isn’t big enough. We weren’t efficient enough to finish off the game.”
Barcelona will next be in action at Osasuna in the league on Sunday (September 3) as they look to stay in touch with early leaders Real Madrid. Los Blancos have won their opening three games and sit two points clear of Girona (7) at the top, with Barca a place behind on goal difference.