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What's the story?
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has lamented his side's Copa del Rey defeat to Valencia over the weekend, stating that the Catalan giants would have completed the treble if they had passed their Champions League test against Liverpool earlier this month.
In case you didn't know
Valencia shocked Barcelona by registering a 2-1 defeat over them during the Copa del Rey final in Seville on Saturday. The defeat served as a final blow to the Spanish champions, who initially had the opportunity to finish their campaign with a treble.
The Blaugrana crashed out of the UEFA Champions League after they threw away their three-goal lead against Liverpool in the second leg of their semi-final fixture in the competition. The club was believed to be the overwhelming favourites to win the European title after titans like Real Madrid and Juventus were knocked out in the initial stages.
The Copa del Rey was supposed to serve the purpose of a consolation prize after Barcelona's European disappointment, but Valencia made sure that the domestic champions finish their season with two trophies less.
The heart of the matter
Pique believes that the defeat at Anfield has given Barcelona a confidence blow, stating that his side would have completed the treble if they had just defeated Liverpool in the Champions League.
According to Marca, the defender said, "I am convinced that if we had passed the trial at Anfield, we would have won the treble this season. We would have done well here against Valencia and we would also have won the Champions League final."
"We are very hurt, but we still have to suffer the consequences. The team is hurt as we did not expect to finish like this. Just two weeks ago, we were chasing the treble and today we are returning with the LaLiga title alone."
"There is no excuse, we are FC Barcelona. We are obliged to win all competitions, but right now let us just congratulate Valencia on their success. It has been a good year – as long as the La Liga is won it can be called a good year. But of course, things could have gone better."
"The last 15 days have not been the best for Barcelona, but that does not mean that we have to rush to conclusions."
What's next?
Ernesto Valverde has been blamed for much of the club's failures this season but his stay appears to have been confirmed by the club in recent press conferences.
Barcelona will return to action in a club friendly against Chelsea on July 23.
