"Lionel Messi is like the Matrix: everything goes in slow motion for him"

Does the national team depend a lot on Barça?

Barça have helped influence the national team's style, that's a fact, and alongside the Madrid players they've adapted well.

On a personal level with regards to the national team, would you like to see Barça use La Masia players more?

I'd like there to be more teams in Spain who produce the style we want to see. The topic of La Masia is something which generates debate and it's one I'd rather not enter.

Do you feel Barça are losing their traditional style? 

Valverde gets the most out of the players he has and wants to win. The people who know him, like Juan Carlos Unzué, tell me great things and his record speaks for itself. I see Barça having more possession than their rivals, pressing high up the pitch or not, but you can't do the same thing a 100 times over either.

So you feel Barça's style is still recognisable?

I see Valverde's Barça, not the one under Guardiola or Luis Enrique. It's a team which gets results and wins titles. Pep's era was glorious but it could, in turn, have an impact for generations as they search to match that.

"There are no explanations for the heavy defeats in the champions league"

Your side was beaten heavily in Paris and Turin, this team in Roma and Liverpool. How do you explain that? 

There isn't one unique explanation. There's no magic wand and I'm one of those that think, when something happens once, it's possible it could happen again. That's why we have a psychologist. The mental side is so important and when you desperately want something not to happen, as the saying goes, the more likely it is to happen.

"Messi IS THE PERFECT PROFESSIONAL"

Was the situation with Jordi Alba to perhaps lay down a marker about discipline?

I'm not going to go into details. Jordi is with us now and is a great player. I've known him since he was a child. He lived in L’Hospitalet in the street behind mine. I saw him playing in the street and that's how we got to know each other. He's a special person. A magnificent guy, he always wants to do his best and we hope he continues to produce those performances for Barça.

How do you analyse the evolution of Lionel Messi in the last few years?

Leo is the greatest of all time. I didn't see Pele or Maradona play live, but Messi is incredible just in the training sessions. The perfect professional. Some believe it's just a natural gift but he's one of the first to arrive at training, who looks after what he eats. Being the greatest for so long and with so many titles, he deserves even more credit. In terms of interpretating his style of play, with Luis Enrique we made a comparision and that was comparing him to the Matrix. It's like the scene stops, everything is in slow motion, and he passes the ball. Leo sees things that way on the pitch. He analyses and looks at what is happening. He searches for space to receive the ball and get involved. With every passing year, he gets even better because he understands the game so well.

Do you feel the criticism of your friend Valverde has been unfair?

I've felt bad for Ernesto and the members of his staff we have a good relationship with like Barbarà and De la Fuente.  We've seen him suffer. Ernesto has spent a lot of time in the football world and he suffers like everyone else when he doesn't get the results he wanted. I felt bad because he's tried everything he can to win. Personally, I've met him two or three times and he comes across like a nice bloke. I also feel bad when they criticise Busquets and the people around him, although I understand this is part of the game.

What did you think of Van Gaal's comments on Messi and the accusation he isn't a 'team player'?

It's tough because I admire Van Gaal for what he's done but I also admire Messi a lot. Van Gaal focuses on the collective idea but if you try to force pieces to put your system it's a mistake. You need to look at what's available to you and create a collective system. We, with Luis, thought that the rest of the players should adapt to what disruption Leo generates out on the pitch. He could move into areas where no one else could but the team must be prepared to defend should he lose possession. With one person it's easy to coordinate things. With five, less so, which is what Van Gaal was referring to.