Barcelona fans were treated to another dramatic victory as Xavi’s men edged Celta Vigo 4-3 in a pulsating encounter, but not everyone walked away with smiles.
Celta Vigo boss Claudio Giráldez cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle, lamenting missed chances, defensive lapses, and what he felt were avoidable mistakes from his side.
“We spent too much time in a defensive phase. We had the chance to finish them off, but we didn’t take it. When it was 1-3, we didn’t manage the game well,” said Giráldez.
“We were caught in between, and we could have used a timeout. Of course, we did many things well, and we actually created more chances than Barcelona. It’s hard to accept – scoring three goals here and still leaving with zero points.”
It was a surprisingly open match, with both teams exchanging blows throughout. While Barcelona’s resilience shone through, Giráldez pointed to tactical flaws in his own team’s approach, especially in the opening stages of the game.
“In the first half, it was difficult for us to press high. We struggled to recognize situations where we could have run in behind the defenders. We should have switched the ball faster to Williot and Pablo. When we finally did that, the goals came,” the Celta coach admitted.
Giráldez was full of praise for Barcelona’s ability to dominate the rhythm and control phases of the game. “Barcelona are a team that take away your time, they play at an incredibly high pace, and they have so many resources. They’re a very complete team.”
The fitness and intensity levels required to compete with Barcelona are notoriously high, and Giráldez admitted his side couldn’t sustain the tempo over 90 minutes. “We lacked legs. We need to adjust to these kinds of games so we can maintain our style for longer,” he said. “I think the team reacted poorly to the 1-3. We made a mistake at that moment, but even so, we had a couple of very clear counterattacks. Even with Mingueza’s last chance, we should have managed the build-up better.”
Celta’s coach didn’t shy away from addressing the controversial refereeing decisions that surfaced during the match, especially a debated challenge by Iñigo Martínez. “I think there were moments when the VAR could have intervened, and it did in the 97th minute. We have to respect the referee’s decisions and accept our own mistakes,” Giráldez commented. “These types of games should give us the maturity to handle these situations better, especially for players who are playing against Barcelona for the first time. If Pablo had gone down in that situation with Iñigo, he could have been sent off. Perhaps we lacked a bit of cleverness in moments like that. The rule doesn’t depend on whether the player falls or not. It was a grey area, and we have to respect what the referee decided.”
For Barcelona, it was another reminder of how dangerous they can be when the pressure is on. But Giráldez’s comments also underscore the fact that, for all their brilliance, Barça can be vulnerable — and teams like Celta are getting closer to exploiting that.
In the end, the match was a lesson in fine margins and football’s unforgiving nature. Barcelona came out on top, but Giráldez’s passionate post-match reflections remind us just how thin the line between triumph and heartbreak can be.
