Barcelona crisis deepens as captains argue on the pitch during Atletico match

FC Barcelona lost 2-0 against La Liga title holders Atletico Madrid on Saturday, and it appeared as though the club's downward spiral is causing players to start turning on each other. Co-captains Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique were seen openly arguing with each other after Atletico scored their first goal at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

The Barcelona defence was no match against Atletico Madrid's attack, and the defenders were left looking at each other for an explanation as Los Colchoneros cut through them like butter. Portuguese star Joao Felix initiated the attack for the first goal, feeding Luis Suarez who in turn, picked out Thomas Lemar for the finish.

The fast-paced and perfectly coordinated attack by the Atletico players left the Barca defense scrambling around like headless chickens. All they could do was watch as Marc-Andre ter Stegen was beaten between the posts.

Oscar Mingueza and Ronald Araujo could not do anything about Felix, while Nico Gonzalez was caught napping by former Barcelona forward Luis Suarez. Finally, Lemar and Suarez managed to throw Pique off as the veteran defender found himself trying to cover both players, ending up freeing both.

Busquets also tried to go after Felix, leaving Suarez open to push forward with the attack. It was an unfortunate string of bad decisions for the Barcelona squad, and the two captains made it clear to one another that they were not happy. Unfortunately, they were not able to fix the situation as Suarez scored his first goal against his former club on the same evening.

Manager Ronald Koeman could be seen covering his face with his palm as his team crumbled on the pitch. Club president Joan Laporta had expressed confidence in him prior to the match, and it remains to be seen if he will indeed keep his job much longer.