Ronald Koeman sees 'positives' in Barcelona's Champions League defeat to Juventus at the Camp Nou

ByEurosport

Updated 09/12/2020 at 10:38 GMT

Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a brace as the Italian champions pipped Barcelona to top spot in their Champions League group with a 3-0 win at the Camp Nou. For the Catalans, the result came on the back of a damaging La Liga defeat to Cadix with Koeman set to come under more pressure as his side struggle to find consistency and momentum this season.

Ronald Koeman insisted “there were some positives” in Barcelona’s performance despite slumping to a 3-0 home defeat to Juventus.

A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo helped the Italian champions to a convincing Champions League victory at the Camp Nou as Barcelona lost their 100% record in the competition this season.

The result saw Juve edge Barca to top spot in Group G. Koeman sought to offer an explanation for the display, telling Sky Sport Italia: “I think we lost the game in the first half-hour, as we got off to a bad start, didn’t play well defensively, were lacking aggression in midfield, and Juventus played well.

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“They were particularly strong in the first half-hour and deserved to win.”

Despite the final outcome, Koeman insisted “there were some positives” in what Barcelona produced and also highlighted his side’s strong Champions League form coming into the match.

FC Barcelona - Juventus Turin: Ronaldo trifft zum 1:0

Image credit: Getty Images

“You can also argue that the first penalty given wasn’t a spot kick, while if they gave that one, then they ought to award one for the incident on Messi,” he said.

“Don’t forget we played two games against Juventus, not just this one, as we won 2-0 in Turin. You should also look at the age of the squad and consider it an important lesson they have learned. They have to play with more conviction.”

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