Players to blame for schoolboy errors: Luis Suarez

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez sought to deflect any blame for the team's performance at Anfield on Tuesday off of manager Ernesto Valverde.

The Catalan giants brought a seemingly unassailable 3-0 lead into the Champions League semi-final second leg in Liverpool but looked unprepared for the team they faced.

The contrast between the sides was most clearly displayed in Liverpool's fourth goal, where Trent Alexander-Arnold and Divock Origi were alive to a lapse in concentration from Barcelona after the Spanish side conceded a corner.

With a tearful Lionel Messi held up by a random drugs test, Suarez was left to front up to the media in the Stadium he once called home. The Uruguayan was given a hostile reception with fans chanting Cheat, cheat, cheat, cheat' and then simply f*ck off Suarez'.

In a pitch-side interview Liverpool fullback Andy Robertson was asked about his clash with Suarez where the Barca striker left a foot in on the Scot, but he was too delighted with the result to dwell on the foul.

Who's going to the final? We are. That's all that matters, Robertson grinned.

Gini went on and scored two. I don't care right now.

I've said so many times this season but what a team. We believe.

People wrote us off. But we believed if we got off to a good start we could do it.

Barcelona's Argentinian striker Lionel Messi (R) is tackled by Liverpool's Scottish defender Andrew Robertson during the UEFA Champions league semi-final second leg football match between Liverpool and Barcelona at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on May 7, 2019. Photo: Paul ELLIS / AFPBarca boss Valverde has just led the club to another La Liga title, but was asked if the collapse at Anfield would undermine his position at the Camp Nou.

I do not know how it's going to affect me, here we are, the coach has to take responsibility, he said.

It's very painful for us, especially for our people, it's the second year they've come back like that.

When facing the media after the 4-0 loss Suarez was eager to ensure that the players front up to a very poor display.

We are very sad, very hurt, Suarez said after the match.

It's time to do a lot of self-criticism in our team, it is the second time that this has happened.

We cannot commit the same mistake two years in a row, we have to think about many things and must be ourselves, tell us things in the face, things that we've done wrong.

It's not possible that in one minute we concede two goals. Their fourth goal? We looked like a youth team there.

The coach does not have to be reproached, we are the ones who have to ask for forgiveness.

Liverpool will face either Ajax Amsterdam or fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur in a the Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on 1 June.

Tags: BarcelonaLiverpool FCLuis Suarez

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