Luis Enrique turns on Barcelona crowd

Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique criticised the Camp Nou support following Tuesday’s dramatic 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos headed the visitors in front as Barca struggled to create many meaningful chances for the majority of the encounter, with the home crowd growing increasingly restless.

Sergi Roberto and Luis Suarez sent the stadium into raptures in the closing stages with a goal each in the space of two minutes, but Luis Enrique was unhappy his side were not given greater encouragement earlier in the match.

“We needed more support from the crowd when things weren’t going our way,” he told TV3. “The team deserves more credit. You should support the team before, not only when it’s going well.

“This team runs and goes all out every game, they deserve all the credit.

“Sometimes you win through belief, sometimes with the heart, sometimes with confidence. They also had chances. This result strengthens the team.

“If we hadn’t won we wouldn’t be top of the group but we knew this team would make things very difficult.”

Andres Iniesta was forced off in the second half with what was later confirmed as a hamstring injury.

initial reports suggest the Spain international could face up to three weeks on the sidelines and with Lionel Messi, Rafinha and Claudio Bravo already out of action, Luis Enrique admits it is a blow to the squad.

“It’s sad news, because of the player and because of the situation we’re in. It seems like a joke,” he added.