IVAN RAKITIC has claimed that his Barcelona side were beaten by Liverpool in 2019 because they were “BORED”.
The LaLiga giants were dumped out of the Champions League by the Premier League outfit after an unforgettable 4-0 defeat at Anfield.
Liverpool mounted a miraculous comeback to win the tie, having been 3-0 down after the first leg in Spain.
Divock Origi scored the first before Georginio Wijnaldum’s brace levelled the tie.
Origi then netted the iconic winner after latching on to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s quick corner.
Rakitic, 36, has now insisted that the defeat for Barcelona was as a result of the team being “bored.”
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He said: “With all due respect and affection to all the teams, Barcelona did not win more because of boredom and thinking about things other than football.
“I have heard many of your teammates say that they have never seen anything like this.
“We screwed up against Roma and Liverpool, but I am convinced that we were affected by that boredom, by feeling too superior.
“If you don’t give your all, you don’t win.
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“If we had maintained our hunger, we would have won one or two more Champions Leagues.”
Rakitic enjoyed a lot of success in Barcelona during his six-year spell at the club.
The Croatian midfielder won four LaLiga titles, four Copa de Rey’s and a Champions League in 2015.
The result in 2019 saw Jurgen Klopp’s side book their spot in the Champions League final.
Liverpool went on to win the match against fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
