Martino mulls Barça future after Getafe draw
Gerardo Martino said he will reflect on whether he will continue as Barcelona coach for next season after seeing his side's title hopes all but ended by a 2-2 draw at home to relegation threatened Getafe.
The Catalans now look set to end the campaign without a major trophy for the first time in six years as they lie three points behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid with just two games remaining and having played one match more than Los Rojiblancos.
As well as the onfield disappointment, Barça have had a difficult year off the field as former coach Tito Vilanova passed away after a battle with cancer and Sandro Rosell was forced to resign as president due to his role in the controversial signing of Neymar last year.
"Overall the season has not been a good one on a personal level, nor for Barcelona as a whole. It has been a very difficult season with a lot of external questions that we couldn't overcome," said Martino.
"There are times when you ask for a second chance and other times when you don't think you deserve it, so I will see what I think.
"I still believe there is time to think about it. We have just finished a game and now is not the time to say anything."
Martino added that he was particularly unhappy to have dropped points at home to a team fighting relegation having come from behind in difficult circumstances to beat high-flying Athletic Bilbao and Villareal in recent weeks.
"In reality it was not what we expected," said the Argentine.
"There was a chance that we wouldn't achieve our objective in winning the league, but not because we didn't win our games. Today we committed some errors and it has cost us.
"If you don't beat a team fighting against relegation at home then you don't deserve to remain in the fight for the title till the end. Of the three teams in the title race, we have been the least consistent."
Midfielder Sergio Busquets admitted immediately after the game that Barça had committed errors "unbecoming of professionals" and captain Xavi Hernandez insisted the players have a lot to work on for next season.
"We are hurting. It has not been a good season. We didn't have luck and we haven't been competitive in many aspects. Apart from the Supercup, we haven't achieved our objectives," he said.
"We need to forget about this season. Barring a miracle the league is lost and we need to look at ourselves for the reasons why. We need to improve many things ourselves for next season."
Comments
See Also
The Catalans now look set to end the campaign without a major trophy for the first time in six years as they lie three points behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid with just two games remaining and having played one match more than Los Rojiblancos.
As well as the onfield disappointment, Barça have had a difficult year off the field as former coach Tito Vilanova passed away after a battle with cancer and Sandro Rosell was forced to resign as president due to his role in the controversial signing of Neymar last year.
"Overall the season has not been a good one on a personal level, nor for Barcelona as a whole. It has been a very difficult season with a lot of external questions that we couldn't overcome," said Martino.
"There are times when you ask for a second chance and other times when you don't think you deserve it, so I will see what I think.
"I still believe there is time to think about it. We have just finished a game and now is not the time to say anything."
Martino added that he was particularly unhappy to have dropped points at home to a team fighting relegation having come from behind in difficult circumstances to beat high-flying Athletic Bilbao and Villareal in recent weeks.
"In reality it was not what we expected," said the Argentine.
"There was a chance that we wouldn't achieve our objective in winning the league, but not because we didn't win our games. Today we committed some errors and it has cost us.
"If you don't beat a team fighting against relegation at home then you don't deserve to remain in the fight for the title till the end. Of the three teams in the title race, we have been the least consistent."
Midfielder Sergio Busquets admitted immediately after the game that Barça had committed errors "unbecoming of professionals" and captain Xavi Hernandez insisted the players have a lot to work on for next season.
"We are hurting. It has not been a good season. We didn't have luck and we haven't been competitive in many aspects. Apart from the Supercup, we haven't achieved our objectives," he said.
"We need to forget about this season. Barring a miracle the league is lost and we need to look at ourselves for the reasons why. We need to improve many things ourselves for next season."
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.