Mourinho had bet wrong!
At a time when Man City was sweeping all before it, Barcelona's performance could not really be called poor. But for the defending Champions League champions, for a powerhouse like Barcelona, a 1–0 defeat at Camp Nou was still utterly unacceptable.
The media rarely looked at problems from a professional angle. More often, they targeted a particular person.
For example, Diario AS openly questioned Mourinho, believing that the defeat at Camp Nou had resulted from the head coach's overly conservative approach.
"This isn't the first time. Whenever the decisive moment arrives, Mourinho adopts more conservative tactics. He did it against Bayern Munich before, and now he's done it again against Man City. We simply can't understand why, as Barcelona's head coach, he can't show a little more confidence."
Diario AS believed that with players such as Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi, Barcelona was fully capable of fighting Man City for possession. Yet Mourinho had chosen to abandon what Barcelona did best and adopt a strategy of tight defense. None of us could understand it.
Diario AS then turned its attention to Mourinho's decision to announce the starting lineup a full day before the match, calling it irresponsible toward the team.
"According to several Barcelona players who spoke to reporters anonymously, this caused an uproar inside the Barcelona dressing room. Many people were shocked and baffled by Mourinho's actions, while also harboring deep dissatisfaction."
"This wasn't the first time Mourinho had behaved in such a heterodox manner, but this time, the consequences were extremely serious. It had even driven many players who had originally remained neutral in the dressing room to Mourinho's opposing side. The internal split in the dressing room had become especially severe."
Diario AS concluded that Mourinho should bear primary responsibility for the defeat at