FC Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon insists his side holds no inferiority complex against Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid despite suffering defeats to both clubs in October 2026.
Barcelona Winger Rejects Superiority Claims From Rivals
Barcelona entered the autumn stretch of the season riding an 11-match winning streak across all competitions under manager Hansi Flick. That run stalled on October 20, 2026, when the Catalan club dropped a 4-2 fixture to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League. Five days later, on October 25, Barcelona stumbled again at home in La Liga, losing 2-1 in El Clásico after a late goal from Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, who scored a brace.
🚨🎙| Anthony Gordon on PSG and Real Madrid:"We take responsibility for the two defeats but THEY ARE NOT BETTER THAN US.""We are a great team and we can beat anyone." pic.twitter.com/cEOBzArQ4f
Despite those setbacks, Gordon rejected the notion that either rival commands a superior squad. Speaking to journalists ahead of Barcelona’s fourth-round European fixture against Aston Villa, the international player accepted accountability for the losses while maintaining belief in the dressing room’s competitive ceiling.
“I don’t think they are above us. We have to take responsibility for both defeats because they are the two biggest matches we’ve played so far and we lost, but I don’t think they are superior,” Gordon stated. He added that Barcelona possesses a squad capable of beating any opponent on any given day.
Fixture Scheduling and Squad Rotation Draw Scrutiny
Addressing the Champions League defeat specifically, Gordon pointed to a disparity in squad management between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain heading into their European clash. The winger noted that the French side rested their entire starting lineup during domestic league play the weekend before the fixture.
“On these two matches, the one against the PSG must be put into context… the weekend in the league, they turned their entire team over,” Gordon explained to reporters. “We didn’t have that privilege, so we were really tired from the match. It’s normal, we have to assume, but I think they benefited from a huge advantage at this level.”
Manager Hansi Flick echoed his player’s sentiments regarding the narrow margins in both high-profile encounters. Flick emphasized that his side matched the level of their opponents and that the outcomes could easily have swung in a different direction.
Clasico Demands Reflection After Late Setbacks
Reflecting on the domestic loss to Real Madrid, Gordon maintained that Barcelona deserved a victory at home. He pointed to statistical dominance in possession and scoring chances, suggesting that minor lapses in peak execution proved decisive against elite opposition.
“Madrid is the most important match of all, the one we want to win. For me, we should have won it,” Gordon said. “For me, we were the best team in the match, we had the possession, the best chances, but we were a tiny bit below our best level. It cost us dearly at the end, we conceded two unfortunate goals.”
Manager Hansi Flick reinforced that perspective, urging observers to look beyond the two high-profile defeats and focus on the broader trajectory of a team that won 11 matches in a row prior to the October results. Both figures stressed that lessons learned from facing world-class talent will inform the squad’s approach as the Champions League and La Liga campaigns progress.
Historical Context and Institutional Defense of the Squad
Outside the dressing room, the club’s recent results sparked external debate over whether Barcelona struggles in major fixtures. Addressing the discourse in the Catalan daily Sport, Toni Freixa argued that the reaction to the defeats disproportionately magnified normal sporting variance over a long season.
Freixa pointed out that Barcelona experienced similar autumn turbulence during the 2024–2025 campaign—including a stretch featuring defeats to the Real Sociedad, a draw against Celta de Vigo, and three consecutive home defeats to Las Palmas, Leganés, and the Atlético de Madrid—before ultimately securing titles. He noted that across the preceding twelve seasons, Barcelona claimed seven La Liga titles and six Copa del Rey trophies, compared to four league crowns and one domestic cup for Real Madrid.
Barcelona sits eighth in the Champions League standings ahead of the Aston Villa fixture, seeking a result to solidify a top-eight spot.
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