Enrique takes blame for shock Barca loss to minnows Alaves

Barca boss Luis Enrique admitted he must take responsibility for the Spanish champions’ shock 1-2 home defeat to newly promoted Alaves after starting Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on the bench.
Enrique made seven changes on Saturday night after many of his squad returned to club duty after taking part in World Cup qualifiers around the world in the past week, whilst Messi was also struggling with a minor groin injury.
“I am the one ultimately responsible for all the bad things that happen,” said the Barca boss after suffering just his fifth home league defeat in three seasons in charge at the Camp Nou. “Many of the changes came from the circumstances surrounding us, but we have 22 players and we are going to use everyone this season.”
As well as leaving out Messi and Suarez, Enrique changed his entire back four, whilst goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and striker Paco Alcacer made their debuts. Neymar was the only one of Barca’s star ‘MSN’ front three to start on his first appearance of the season after leading Brazil to Olympic gold and should have levelled moments later when he failed to hit the target with a free header inside the area.
The Brazilian provided the assist as Jeremy Mathieu headed home Barca’s equaliser from a corner a minute after the break and the French defender somehow blasted wide with the goal gaping moments later.
Deyverson beat Cillessen from close range to hand Alaves a surprise lead before half-time, but Jeremy Mathieu brought Barca back into the game when he headed home Neymar’s corner a minute into the second-half.
Mathieu somehow then blasted wide when it seemed easier to score from another set-piece before Barca’s makeshift defence was caught out once more when Ibai Gomez slotted home the winner. Enrique called upon Messi, Suarez and Andres Iniesta from the bench, but even they couldn’t break Alaves’s resistance as Messi fired wide deep into stoppage time.
“We lacked fluidity, precision and we were fragile in defence, which is one of the things that normally makes us strong,” added Enrique. “The one positive is it is a time to reflect on what this team has won over the years. Everyone makes us favourites for everything, but it is not easy to win any game.”
Enrique is expected to revert back to his strongest line-up for Celtic’s visit to the Camp Nou to start their Champions League campaign. The Scottish club will be high on confidence after thrashing old rivals Rangers 5-1 on Saturday.
“It’s clear it wasn’t our best game, they didn’t have many chances but they were very effective,” said midfielder Sergio Busquets. “We lacked a spark, we lacked a lot of things. It is hard to say it is a deserved defeat because they also didn’t create a lot. Now we have to think about Celtic because the season rolls on.”
And Iniesta insisted Barca will have licked their wounds and learned the lesson in time for the visit of the Scottish champions. “We have to do better in the next game in a different competition,” added the Spanish international. “As always when there is a defeat, we have to analyse it and correct it for the next game.”
Barca now trail Real Madrid by three points at the top of the table after Cristiano Ronaldo took just five minutes to score on his return from a two-month injury layoff in a 5-2 rout of Osasuna at the Bernabeu.
Antoine Griezmann handed Atletico Madrid a much-needed first win of the season in a 4-0 victory at Celta Vigo. Koke met Griezmann’s fine cross eight minutes into the second half in Vigo to give the visitors the lead before Euro 2016’s top scorer Griezmann headed home his first two goals of the season in the final 20 minutes. Angel Correa added a fourth two minutes from time.
Villarreal secured their first victory of the season, winning 2-0 at Malaga thanks to first-half goals from Jaume Costa and Nicola Sansone.

Results
Sporting Gijon 2 (Cases 17, Cop 43-pen) Leganes 1 (Rico 58); Valencia 2 (Rodrigo 69, Garay 77) Real Betis 3 (Ruben Castro 37, 90+2, Joaquin 55)
On Saturday: Celta Vigo 0 Atletico Madrid 4 (Koke 53, Griezmann 73, 80, Correa 88); Real Madrid 5 (Ronaldo 6, Danilo 40, Ramos 45+1, Pepe 56, Modric 62) Osasuna 2 (Riera 64, Garcia 78); Sevilla 2 (Sarabia 89-pen, Fernandez 90+3) Las Palmas 1 (Tana 16); Malaga 0 Villarreal 2 (Costa 33, Sansone 44); Barcelona 1 (Mathieu 46) Alaves 2 (Deyverson 38, Ibai Gomez 63)