The last seven days have been difficult for Barcelona, with back-to-back defeats against Atletico Madrid and Girona setting them back. They have also felt hard done by with recent referee decisions that have not gone in their favour.
Girona’s winning goal on Monday was controversially allowed despite Jules Kounde appearing to be stood on. Four days prior, Barcelona were denied a goal of their own after an eight-minute VAR check, with it ultimately being ruled that Pau Cubarsi was offside in the lead-up to scoring.
As per MD, defender Eric Garcia spoke on Barcelona’s referee controversies during an interview with Tot Costa. He believes the fine margins are going against the Catalans at this stage of the season.
“There are situations that we cannot control. Right now, we feel like the referees can disallow every goal we score. If they want to disallow it, they will do it. These are games in which we have entered a bit of frustration and we must reset. We know that decisions against us can come and we have to remain focused.
“Against Atlético we created chances in the first five minutes of the second half. We scored, but seven minutes passed between them validating it or not. I think it’s crazy.”
Eric revealed that he was close to leaving Barcelona during the 2025 winter transfer window, but in the end, head coach Hansi Flick made the decision for him to stay.
“There was a moment when it seemed I would leave for Como. The match against Benfica changed everything. After speaking with Flick, I can now say staying was the best decision.”
He also explained why he has managed to turn things around, as he cited his previous loan spell at Girona, where he was very prominent.
“I have never doubted myself, I have always been clear about my abilities. I arrived at Barça after almost a blank year. I was 19 or 20 years old and needed regularity to grow. I didn’t have the regularity and I went to Girona with a style similar to here and with a coach who gave me a lot of confidence. I grew as a player and a person and I returned to Barça. At first it was not easy but over the months I found confidence.”
