Barcelona coach Louis van Gaal and club president Joan Gaspart both pledged tocarry on, despite the club going down 3-0 to Sevilla.
The defeat left Barca in 13th place in the Spanish first division, 16 points behind leaders Real Sociedad and only two points above the relegation zone. Inevitably, the loss was greeted by a cacophony of boos with irate supporters demanding the resignation of van Gaal and Gaspart.
‘Resignation would not be the solution,’ van Gaal said after the game.
‘The most important thing for me is the unity between the coach and the players. I’ll speak to the players tomorrow and set about getting the team out of this.’
‘The difference between the way we played against Newcastle and the way we played tonight is impossible to explain,’ van Gaal admitted.
‘We have to work harder than ever now to get out of this very bad situation. We’re disappointed, angry even, but tomorrow is another day.’
Despite the latest setback, the Dutchman continues to receive the backing of Gaspart.
‘I don’t intend to resign, or offer the resignation of the board and we are not thinking of sacking the coach,’ Gaspart said.
‘This was a disastrous result that left us in a situation where we don’t belong.’
The most important thing to do, though, is to approach the situation calmly. It would not do to take a hasty decision.’
