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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Alex Milne

Barcelona players hold crunch talks over dinner after poor start to the season

Barcelona's first-team squad had dinner together on Wednesday evening, where it is thought they discussed how to turn their fortunes around following a disappointing start to the season.

The Catalan club lie in fifth place in La Liga after six games, and they have so far lost to Athletic Bilbao and Granada and drawn with Osasuna, despite spending big money this summer on acquiring the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie de Jong and Neto.

They were also unable to get their Champions League campaign off to a winning start when they were held 0-0 by Dortmund, although they did manage to defeat Villarreal 2-1 on Tuesday thanks to goals from Griezmann and Arthur Melo.

Their talisman Lionel Messi was the first to arrive to the dinner, which took place at the Sir Victor hotel in the centre of the city, and it is thought the manager Ernesto Valverde was also present, along with every member of the senior squad.

Surprisingly, MotoGP rider Marc Marquez was also pictured, although it is not clear whether this was a coincidence or whether he had been invited to the evening.

Barcelona's poor start is their worst beginning to a La Liga campaign in 25 years and their away form is particularly concerning- they have not tasted victory on the road since beating Alaves in April.

It remains to be seen whether the team bonding will have an affect on their form, with Barca taking on Getafe on Saturday before hosting Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The club were fined the meagre fee of €300 (£265) by the Spanish Football Federation on Thursday for allegedly negotiating a move for Griezmann from Atletico Madrid without the club's permission. Barcelona plan to appeal against the fine despite many criticising the relatively small figure they must pay.

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