"Why is he starting in the title decider", "We are losing" - Fans react as Barcelona star named in XI for LaLiga clash against Espanyol
Barcelona fans online were left disappointed with Ronald Araujo starting in their LaLiga clash against Espanyol on Thursday, May 15. The game is a crucial one for the Catalans as winning it would officially crown them LaLiga champions this season.
Hansi Flick went for a few different names in his starting XI owing to unavailability and injuries. Wojciech Szczesny starts at the goal, while Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Gerard Martin form the backline. He has rested Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi while both Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde are unfit to start.
The midfield features Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Dani Olmo, as usual. The attack includes Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal. The Polish superstar is back in the starting XI after his injury break.
Fans took to X to react to the Barcelona line-up, with many being upset about Ronald Araujo being a starter. Araujo has not been at his best since returning from injury mid-season in December. He was also responsible for Inter Milan's two late goals that led them to win 4-3 against Barcelona in the UCL semi-final second leg, despite the Catalans leading 3-2 in the final minutes.
One X user wrote:
"Why is Araujo starting the title decider."
"Araujo ? Yeah we are losing," another person agreed.
"Araujo start looking for a team," a fan jibed.
"araujo... you better be joking, do we not wanna win?," another netizen remarked.
Fans continued to share their disappointment with Ronald Araujo:
"ARAUJO too, yeah we are suffering in this match," a fan commented.
"IS THAT ARAUJO 🤒🤒🤒WE NOT WINNING THE LEAGUE TODAY," a user opined.
"I can't believe Flick is throwing away the title by playing Araujo mxm," another person chimed in.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick speaks in support of Ronald Araujo amid wave of criticism ahead of Espanyol clash
In the pre-match press conference ahead of their LaLiga fixture against Espanyol, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick came out in defense of Ronald Araujo. His comments amid a surge of criticism against the Uruguayan due to his costly mistakes against Inter Milan in the semi-final second leg.
"I have spoken to Ronald Araujo. We all made mistakes in Milan… That’s life, and in general, we all fail at some point, no matter the profession. We've all been through such situations, and it's important to know how to handle them. That’s why I want to protect Araujo. He is not the only one who made a mistake," Flick said (via GOAL).
It is worth noting that Ronald Araujo was also involved in a massive blunder that saw Barcelona walk out of the Champions League quarter-final last season. He was shown a red card in the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after a foul on Bradley Barcola. The 10-man Catalan side lost 4-1 in the second leg despite leading 3-2 from the first leg.
