Barcelona beat Juventus while playing football we want to play, proclaims Ronald Koeman

While many touted it as a battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when the draw was still announced, Ronaldo’s positive COVID-19 test put a damper on things. However, with the Portuguese international still unavailable for the fixture, many Juventus fans were concerned with their side struggling to cope. It saw Barcelona walk in as the favourites and the La Liga side bounced back from their EL Clasico defeat with an emphatic win.

Goals from Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi capped a game that Barcelona completely dominated as Juventus finished without a shot on target. However, while they did have three Alvaro Morata goals, rightly, ruled out for offside, it saw Ronald Koeman admit that this was Barcelona’s “best game of the season.” The Barca boss further added that he was happy his side beat an “important European side” while playing the football they wanted to play.

"This was our best game all season. This is a big win against an important European side and we were able to play the football we're trying to impose.  I wanted us to play with three at the back, pushing one man forward to have extra in the middle of the pitch. ," Koeman said in his post-match press conference.

“That meant we created a lot of goal chances and, frankly, I think we should have finished the match off much earlier. I'm very content with the football we played, with the result and especially with the character my team showed."