Ronald Koeman defends Clement Lenglet after error against Cadiz

Atletico Madrid had lost earlier in the day to Levante at home, opening up a window for Barcelona to put themselves back into a title race that had seemed long gone. Clement Lenglet was at fault for blowing the Blaugrana’s lead, conceding the equalising penalty right at the death after his team had been totally dominant for the preceding 90 minutes.

Koeman, however, rejected that Lenglet was the main culprit for his team’s failure to secure all three points and gain ground on Los Rojiblancos. “I spoke with Clement this morning,” Koeman said pre-game in comments carried by Diario Sport. “He’s a very good professional and a serious player who takes this very personally. As I said before, a player is not guilty for losing points. Of course he can do better on a play and he made errors in defence, but other players have also made errors like that.”

Barcelona are at a serious disadvantage in both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, having lost 2-0 to Sevilla in the first leg of the former and 4-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the latter. They’re now fourth in La Liga, a point behind Sevilla, five behind Real Madrid and seven behind Atletico.