Barcelona struggling with busy schedule, says assistant coach

After a second consecutive league defeat at home, Barcelona’s assistant manager Marcus Sorg attributed the team’s struggles to a demanding schedule that has taken its toll on the players.

Barcelona have been struggling in LaLiga for over a month and a 1-0 home defeat to lowly Leganes on Sunday left them with one win in their last six league matches.

They remain top of the standings on 38 points, but level with Atletico Madrid – who they host on Saturday – and one point ahead Real Madrid in third, with both their title rivals having a game in hand.

They are still top thanks to their brilliant start to the season, when they won 14 of their first 16 matches in all competitions. But while they have been excellent in the Champions League with five victories in six games, they have lost their way domestically.

“We have to learn from this experience because the schedule has been tough on the players. We have played a lot of very demanding games in a few days and the team is not used to this,” Sorg told DAZN.

Sorg led the team from the sidelines on Sunday after coach Hansi Flick was handed a two-game suspension after being sent off in their 2-2 draw at Real Betis last week.

“It is very hard to understand this defeat. The first problem was the lack of concentration in the first five minutes of the game when we conceded that first goal,” Sorg said.

“Still, we managed to create 20 scoring opportunities despite not playing a good game and we didn’t score… It’s difficult to win like that, when you miss so many chances.

“We are not happy with the current run in the league, but you have to accept things when you try to build a team. We are working hard. We’re at the top and we might lose the lead, but we’re still there.”