There’s really two ways you can behave in defeat, and I think we can all agree that one reflects much better on the club and everyone involved.
Without mentioning any names, you can accuse the opposition of being negative and play acting, moan about the referee and lower everyone’s opinion of you, or you can give praise where it’s due and attempt to move on.
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Lionel Messi was completely outstanding for Barcelona today, he scored four goals in their 5-0 defeat of Eibar and it just looked like he could do whatever he wanted with the ball.
The game was about as one sided as they come, but Eibar have since responded with a classy gesture to pay tribute to their tormentor this afternoon:
Te sufrimos.
Te padecemos.
Te sobrellevamos.
Y no nos queda otra que ponernos en pie y aplaudirte.
? @TeamMessi ? pic.twitter.com/6md5L4ZSE3— SD Eibar (@SDEibar) February 22, 2020
The translation says – “We suffer from you, we have to endure you, we have to cope with you, and we have no choice but to applaud Lionel Messi”.
Obviously this wouldn’t be appropriate after every single defeat, but sometimes a player is just so good that you have to recognise that.
It’s also the first time that we’ve really seen Barcelona win so dominantly under Quique Setien, so the fans will be hoping that this is a positive sign for the rest of the season.