"The Málaga draw wasn’t down to a lack of attitude"

Granada: “I’m expecting to see the version of Granada which we’ve seen in recent weeks. They’ve been getting good results, they’re strong in attack, hard-working – they’re a quality side who are adept at set-pieces. I’m sure they’ll give us problems; we’ll see if we’re capable of solving them”.

Are you anticipating a similar game to the Málaga one? “It’s my job to improve the team’s performance in every game we play. Some rivals are trickier than others and my task is to find a solution. When our opponents make life difficult for us that is partly due to their merit – not because we might be at fault. They will try something similar to Málaga but it’s not a question of pressing a button and saying: ‘right, we’ll do the same as them’. Apart from Athletic Club, most of our rivals so far have sat back and defended, camped in their own half – some more than others”.

Training hard: “All I see is a good attitude within the squad – both in our games and in training. In Málaga, we were unable to find any solutions but the team did display a good attitude”.

System changes: “We did change the formation but when I take one player off it doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ve change the system. We want to play better in each match; sometimes we’ll manage to do that, other times we won’t”.

Centre-back pair: “I’m happy with the centre-backs, I think they were good signings in what is a very difficult position here at Barça; physically and technically they are very good”.

Why is Xavi still warming the bench? “When these kinds of games come along I have to consider everything carefully – these matches require solutions. I’ve said before that I need Xavi – just like I need every player in the squad. I will use all of them when I need them. Every time I leave someone out there is a debate – last week I was being unfair to Bartra... I can only play 11. I am the one who has to make the decisions. Xavi is a special player – we all know that. We were team mates together... but this is football and things change as the seasons go by. I understand and respect your concern about Xavi; I will use all of my players when I need them, depending on the situation”.

Claudio Bravo could equal ‘Pello’ Artola’s run (keeping clean sheets in all of the first six matches of the 1977/78 season): “All I do know is that his unbeaten run will eventually come to an end. For me what matters is my team being better than our opponents - that is our objective on Saturday”.

Top of the table and unbeaten: “They may well be more candidates to win the league. Last season Atlético won and Sevilla and Valencia are in the running. That makes the competition more attractive for everyone. But being leaders at this point means nothing; what’s interesting will be where we stand later in the campaign”.

from Últimas noticias | Diario AS http://ift.tt/1BghY0X

via IFTTT