Amid 'Necessary' Changes, Gerard Pique Hopes Barcelona Could Fight Through Struggle

Barcelona may have won their UEFA Champions League fixture against Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday, but resident center-back Gerard Pique expected more from his team.

The Ronald Koeman-mentored troop walked away with a 2-1 victory, with Argentine superstar Lionel Messi drawing first blood from the penalty spot just five minutes into the contest.

Pique came into the fold with a header in the second half, putting the Blaugrana ahead with two goals.

As they were on the verge of closing out with a flawless win, Barca conceded a goal to Dynamo Kyiv's Viktor Tsyhankov with roughly 15 minutes left in the match.

Pique admitted that the game almost went out of their hands down the stretch as they succumbed to pressure.

"It went well in the first half. Then the game went away from us. We lost control and we were nervous. They made things difficult for us. The best thing was the three points," Pique said, as quoted by Goal.

With the club simultaneously playing in competitions such as the Champions League, La Liga and other tourneys, Pique is starting to feel the urgency to improve as they enter the midway point of the football season.

"The club is in a process of many changes. I think it was necessary because our form was struggling. Every year we were a little worse. We know it's not an easy year, but we'll try to compete every game,” he explained.

Barcelona has been going through major changes in the past few months, starting with Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic’s exit from Camp Nou. The club then signed a new manager in Ronald Koeman after parting ways with Quique Setien.

While the former World Cup Winner understands the situation, Pique stressed the importance of embracing the adjustments being made in their ranks in order for them to grow as a unit.

"It is normal that we are not favorites in the Champions League after the last few years. All we can do is work. We have young players. The results will end up coming," Pique guaranteed.

Pique's sentiment was supported by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who returned to action after being sidelined since August with a knee injury.

"For me, it was very important to win the match because I was looking forward to coming back and doing what I like the most," Ter Stegen stated. "We ended up suffering quite a bit in the second half. We generated some chances, we have to talk about it and improve."

Barcelona looks to pick up where they left off on Saturday as they battle Real Betis in La Liga.