Eric Garcia: We Couldn’t Keep Up with Chelsea’s High Press

In a press statement following the match in which Barcelona lost to Chelsea in the fifth round of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Eric Garcia, the team's defender, spoke about the reasons for the setback and the mistakes the team made.

Garcia said: "It was a very tough night. We came after putting in a good performance against Athletic. We started the match well and had some very good chances. We tried to hold on a bit in the second half, but the second goal made things very difficult."

He continued: "I think they put a lot of pressure on us; we couldn't adapt well. We tried to build attacks through the full-backs, but that was impossible. We had to run after the ball the entire time."

He added: "The matches we have played, we have experienced before. We need to be more competitive in this type of game—one-on-one duels, second balls. If you are not strong, it is impossible to win."

The player explained that Barcelona needs to focus more and work on improving team performance to face high-pressing and physically strong teams in European competitions, emphasizing the importance of learning from these experiences to enhance performance in upcoming matches.