Eric Garcia Opens Up About Barcelona's Crisis and Carles Puyol as a Role Model

Barcelona centre-back Eric Garcia has finally spoken about the difficult situation facing the Catalan club.

After suffering disappointing results against Girona and Atletico Madrid, Garcia analysed the inner workings of the dressing room and expressed his admiration for the legendary captain, Carles Puyol.

The successive defeats suffered by Barcelona in LaLiga and the Copa del Rey have triggered an alarm for coach Hansi Flick.

The aggressive playing style implemented by Flick is considered to be starting to overwhelm the players physically.

Garcia also admitted that there has been a decline in performance due to various technical and mental factors.

Although they managed to keep pace with the game at the beginning, external factors such as refereeing decisions had an impact on the team’s psychology.

“Against Atletico, everything went smoothly in the first half. It’s about intensity and attitude. In the Copa del Rey semi-final, we should have performed with a different mentality,” said Eric Garcia, quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

“The goal that was disallowed, the seven minutes of added time, really annoyed us. And against Girona, we suffered a lot; it was a tense and back-and-forth match.

They are strong at home with possession of the ball. This is a week to talk about a lot of things and improve ourselves. Against Levante, the team did what it had to do,” he continued.

He also added that the break in competition is a crucial moment to improve the tactical approach in the 2025-2026 Spanish League.

“These two quieter weeks allow us to talk, practice more, strengthen our approach, and I think that’s positive.”

Although he often plays alongside young defenders such as Pau Cubarsi, 25-year-old Eric Garcia is starting to take on a senior role.

He emphasised the importance of honest communication between players, including the courage to argue for the good of the team.