Making the front page of
Mundo Deportivo
two days in a row
is not necessarily a bad sign.
For Clément Lenglet, this is however the case.
On one of the two Catalan dailies (with
Sport
) with the laconic title "Unforgivable" on Monday, the Barça defender was again thrown into the public square on Tuesday.
"It's enough mistakes" proclaims
Mundo Deportivo
.
In question, a gross foul of the French international (10 selections, 1 goal), leading to a penalty in the ultimate, thus allowing the promoted Cadiz to snatch a draw on his only shot on target at Camp Nou on Sunday (1-1 ).
If the whole team has its share of responsibility in this poor performance, just a few days after the slap received against PSG (1-4), it is the former defender of Nancy who is singled out.
And he suffers from it.
Particularly affected by his mistake, Lenglet was seen sobbing as he left the stadium by supporters camped around the Camp Nou to wait and chat with the players.
️ La portada de hoy
❌ 'IMPERDONABLE' https://t.co/m5FMobuI3Dpic.twitter.com/jqrwqIaRvx
- Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) February 21, 2021
Heightened responsibilities
“I spoke with him this Tuesday.
He's a serious person, and a very good professional, who takes it in a very personal way, ”explained his trainer Ronald Koeman at a press conference, on the eve of the reception of Elche on Wednesday, in a late match. of the 1st day of La Liga (19h).
"It was an action where he could have done better, that's for sure, and it's true that he was also present at certain times when we made mistakes," continued the technician Batave, while Clément Lenglet had already sunk against Paris in the Champions League.
Too easily dropped by Kylian Mbappé on the first Parisian goal, he was also too short of the head on the free kick leading to Moise Kean's goal.
Three consecutive errors as symbols of a season looking like a long Stations of the Cross for the native of Beauvais, already very marked by the incredible rout against Bayern in the Champions League this summer (2-8), reports the Catalan daily
Sport
.
Errors which are reminiscent of the first Clasico (1-3, 24 October), where Lenglet was overtaken by the mischief of Sergio Ramos, before the Madrid captain obtained and then converted the penalty himself.
A mess committed less than a month after his first red card in the season, received before half-time on the lawn of Celta Vigo (3-0 victory, October 1).
Boasted for the quality of his raises and his positioning, the left-hander is only a shadow of himself this season, and he seems to be dragging his spleen as the matches are linked.
And for good reason, the cascade of injuries in central defense (Pique and Umtiti are back, Araujo is still absent) forced him to be almost eternally renewed (32 matches), without being able to benefit from a possible restorative break.
Propelled leader of a defenseless defense, the former Sevillian suffers from the absence of Pique, whose hasty return has rather served Barça against Paris.
What about his presence at the Euro
"It would not be fair to put all the ills of the team on one man," Ronald Koeman stamped on Tuesday.
The Dutchman, who could choose to renew his confidence in Lenglet against Elche alongside Pique, while Umtiti hardly satisfies him while Araujo remains on the side, appeared irritated over the influx of questions about his defender French this Tuesday: "This is not a press conference about Piqué, or any other player for that matter."
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Light years from his level during his first season in Catalonia where he quickly dislodged his compatriot Umtiti - plagued by recurring injuries - following his transfer from Seville in 2019 against some 36 million euros, Lenglet could see his name immerse on the transfer list during the next summer transfer window,
Sport
believes
.
Also and above all, he could see his presence in the France team, where he has been firmly established since the summer of 2019, questioned a few months before the Euro (June 12 to July 12, 2021).
Wouldn't the solution be to force fate to stop this negative spiral that looks like
One Endless Day
.
If Bill Muray ended up finding the solution, Clément Lenglet could be inspired by it in order to avoid an endless season.
Perhaps on Wednesday against Elche before returning to his former club, Sevilla, this Saturday (4:15 p.m.), where Barça and his defender will play very big.
Read also
Liga standings
