Luis Enrique on Manchester City, refusing to talk about Real Madrid, and more...
Luis Enrique was in his usual spiky mood ahead of Barcelona's second leg clash against Manchester City. His team take a 2-1 lead with them to the game, played on Wednesday night at 8.45pm CET. Here are the key quotes from Enrique's press conference.
--------------------------------------
1) On the game plan for City: "There's only one ball and our objective is to keep it as long as posible, to control the game. It's key for the development of the game."
2) Asked about the two games against City and Real Madrid: "No, there is only one game for us. Which is the one we're playing tomorrow."
3) On how much better they were than City in the first leg: "We're not going to see the game that way, we'll see it as we did before the first leg. We need to focus on the things we need to do better than the rival. If we focus on how good we were in the first leg, that will be very dangerous. We will avoid that sort of thinking."
4) On if Sergio Busquets' will be fit to face City and Madrid: "No, he won't be ready for tomorrow. I'm sure of that. And I'm only interested in that game."
5) On Javier Mascherano replacing Busquets: "Every player has different profiles - apart from all being world class players - each player has his nuances. When you get to know them they are so professional and in the case of Mascherano his work rate is so evident. His performances have been amazing."
6) On this being an important part of the season: "We could go to the next round, or not. That's important for us as a club, as a team. that will keep us active and alert. You work through the season in order to see this press conference room so full. These are the games we want to play in front of our fans. We need our fans for that. If there is a moment of doubt during the game we need our fans to support us, as they have done in other seasons."
7) On players complaining about rotations: "I'm the coach, it's not about if I rotate or not. you know what my idea is, I'm not going to repeat it, I'll keep doing what I've been doing so far."
8) On Neymar's form: "It's impossible for a player to keep a 100% level for the whole season. They go through better moments or worse moments. It's the team that has to manage those situations and that's what they're doing."
9) On Messi holding his leg: "Messi's been training all week perfectly well. Every little detail is exaggerated here and he's been fine."
10) On giving players a rest day: "I think the players are much better off with their families, wives and girlfriends than concentrated in a hotel. I've always done it like this as a coach and got top feedback from players. They are highly professional and I trust them and they will get to a key game in a top state.
"If I give a day of rest, we let the players decide. Do you think it's good for you to go for a walk with your children, or do you want to come and train? I wasn't in yesterday, if I didn't come I don't blame any players for not coming. In training and matches, how players perform, that's important. On the free day, I don't care what they do."
