Luis Enrique calls for his Barcelona side to embark on a winning run
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique analysed his side's 4-0 win over Eibar and admitted that his side "struggled to play during the first 25 minutes and to get into Eibar’s half because their high pressing impeded us doing so. But I think, overall, we played well, excluding those early minutes, which Eibar deserve credit for. "
Asked if the team's dynamic has now changed, he explained that he was "referring to results when I say about wanting a change in dynamic. I have always been happy with what my team have done, but [a run of good results] always makes everything flow more smoothly and the players have more confidence. We’re still a long way from what’s needed in order to be where we want to be."
Luis Enrique referred to the injury to Busquets and the job done by Rakitic in filling in for the midfielder: "The best news is that the injury is not as serious as we thought and he'll be out for less than it seemed."
Asked about possible replacements, he joked: "The game’s just ended 4-0 and you already want me to think about who could substitute [Busquets]. Let me get on the bus first and eat some sushi (…) Sergi Roberto, [Javier] Mascherano, [Ivan] Rakitic and Andre Gomes can play in that position. I won’t complain because I have a lot of [options].
"I liked Rakitic [in Busquets’ role]. It’s a position he’s already played in. He played well, as did Arda Turan and Denis Suarez. [Midfield] is the position where I have the most options and lots of players with different profiles. They all add things. I took advantage of today’s game to give minutes to players that were coming back from injuries or have not played as much and I gave a rest to others with knocks or who’ve played a lot."
Asked to asses the first hald of the season, he responded: "It's been good -- although it can always be improved -- because we’re in a position to fight for all the competitions we’re in, including La Liga. We always want to improve, that’s always our objective. Since the season started we’ve not had a run of wins. It’s something which would be welcome to try and move up the league."
