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Robert Lewandowski has reportedly made his opinion on Eric Garcia clear as believes the latter is not good enough to be starting for Barcelona.
The Spanish centre-back left Manchester City to join Barca at the end of the 2020-21 campaign in a transfer that raised many eyebrows. Garcia has been thought of as one of the most promising young defenders to come out of Spain in recent years.
However, things haven't been so rosy for the youngster this season. Garcia's mistakes in two high-profile games - against Inter Milan in the Champions League and Real Madrid in La Liga - have led to a lot of criticism.
Against I Nerazzurri on October 12, Garcia was easily beaten by Lautaro Martinez in the 63rd minute to give Inter the lead. The game finished 3-3, which was a massive blow to Barca's chances of qualifying from the group.
On Sunday (October 16), he conceded an 88th-minute penalty in Barca's humiliating El Clasico loss. Real Madrid won 3-1 on the day and Garcia was one of the Catalan giants' most underwhelming performers.
El Nacional has claimed that Lewandowski does not believe Garcia should be starting for the club - a belief shared by president Joan Laporta. He has asked for the Spaniard to be benched when the senior defenders return to the fold from their respective injuries.
Jules Kounde has already returned to the pitch while Hector Bellerin and Andreas Christensen are expected to rejoin the team in the coming days. Ronald Araujo, however, remains a long-term absentee.
Gerard Pique has already been made to face the music for his below-par defensive efforts this season.
Now, it seems that Garcia is also being held accountable to a certain extent when it comes to Barcelona's recent high-profile failings. The defender scored one goal and assisted another in 10 games across competitions for the Blaugranas this campaign.
Xavi shoulders blame for Barcelona's defeat vs Real Madrid
Manager Xavi Hernandez took responsibility for Barcelona's defeat against Real Madrid in an important El Clasico on Sunday.
Speaking after the game, Xavi admitted that the team has to improve but it's not the players that should be blamed for the loss at the Santiago Bernabeu. He said (h/t GOAL):
"We have to be more mature and compete much better. We have to learn the hard way. At this level, everything is even. We have to play much better."
"I won't blame the players. I'm responsible. I'll explain what happened. It's my mistake, specific errors. We have to change the dynamic, this is a long season."
Madrid now have a three-point lead over Barcelona at the top of the table after nine games.
