Luis Enrique: "I manage my teams with common sense"
www.fcbarcelona.com
09/23/2014 17:15
Against Malaga "the aim is to create more than our opponents and to win by being better"
"I think we can get better in defence. And we will get better” he adds
“I manage my teams with common sense, the least common of the senses” said
FC Barcelona manager
Luis Enrique in a press conference today where his frank, straight-talking nature shone through as much as ever. Every time he appears before the media, he seems to be answering each question with more and more confidence, giving the impression of a man who puts the team before all individuals, and for whom the only statistic that ultimately matters is the number of games won.
"My only obsession is making this team better” he said. “There are many factors involved, but we just have to work to get better and to shape these ideas into something that works for the team. The first step is to beat
Malaga in the fifth game of the league season, and it’ll be a difficult match, as any away match is. Here we have the added difficulty of a tough opponent. Complications are going to appear. We just have to create more than they do and win the game by playing better.
He added that “we have to defend as eleven when they have the ball. Malaga play as a unit, and have players like
Roque Santa Creu and
Rabat. But we’re also worried about
Horta, Duda, Castillejo ... I’m worried about what they can do with long balls. With set pieces …. It’s not going to be an easy match, but that’s just an added motivation to keep on winning points.”
Luis Enrique seems to discuss his defence a lot in these conferences, and with five clean sheets in five official outings this season, things are going well in that department. “I still think we’ve got a lot to improve in defence” he commented. “And we will improve. That doesn’t mean that we’re not going to concede goals or lose matches. But the team needs to perform much better at the back. We haven’t always gone about things the right way in these matches, but people notice it less because we haven’t dropped any points … It’s an on-going improvement process, and a search for the context in which we are strongest.”
Still on defensive issues,
Mathieu’s name came up. “We signed him because he’s a centre back who can add something to the team” said Luis Enrique. “He can play at full-back, on the left, he’s very versatile. He has everything it takes to be a very useful player for us.” And as for
Gerard Piqué, "his attitude is wonderful. I love the way he behaves. He’s so optimistic, such a good person. He is in perfect condition to help us.”
Rakitic scored a long-range cracker against Levante, and the FCB manager was asked whether he felt his team should shoot more often from such positions. “We’re trying to encourage the midfielders to dare to shoot more” he admitted. “I think we need to vary our attacking methods more. Any shot could lead to a goal, so we’ll keep working on that.
”
Four games, four wins
Barça boss Luis Enrique: "La Liga is never won in September"
Luis Enrique is not hung up on Barcelona's good start to the season ahead of a trip to Malaga on Wednesday night
Juan Manuel Diaz / Sergio Vera | 23.9.2014 | 16:17h.
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has been speaking to the press on Tuesday afternoon ahead of his side's trip to Malaga on Wednesday night.
After four wins from four in la Liga - plus a win in the Champions League - Barça travel to la Rosaleda hopeful of continuing their perfect start to the season.
Here is what Luis Enrique had to say:
-The Malaga match: "Like any match away from home it will be difficult. Our objective is to be better than our rival and to get another victory."
-Praise for Malaga and Javi Gracia: "I am wary of Malaga. They have a reference like [Roque] Santa Cruz; I worry about Duda; they have good wingers; their double pivot; their potential from long balls... I know Javi Gracia perfectly and he is a well-prepared manager."
-The title race: "Valencia and Sevilla are in great form and Real [Madrid] and Atletico are also going to be up there, but there is still so long to go. In March we will see the teams that aspire to win the league. We will see if someone drops off before then.
Nobody wins la Liga in September."
-Mathieu's adaption: "That is why we signed him, so that he could add his many qualities to the side: He's a central defender, rapid, can also play at left-back, and is great physically. He's added many important things to the team, although he can still improve."
-Pique's situation: "I like 'Geri', he has a marvelous attitude and has now recovered from his injury. I have good chemistry with him and I see him working hard and ready to help us."
-Bartra's lack of minutes: "I'm always unfair with all the players. The problem is I can only call up 18. I really like Marc Bartra, he will play over a long season and he has played."
-Clean sheets: "I would concede a goal in every game if it meant we always won. Not conceding so far is a nice strength, but our objective is to be better than our rival. Thats is my obsession."
-Messi's missed penalty: "If there is a penalty tomorrow Leo will take it and Leo will score it. He will continue taking them because we have maximum confidence in him."
-A new Lionel Messi? "Since I have arrived at the club I have always seen him with the same idea: collaborating with everyone in all aspects of play. In mathes there are nuances over his position, but a player of his quality has total freedom. He's doing what we expected of him and that is to be vital in our play. He is doing that in attack and defence; we are delighted."
-Rakitic and Neymar injuries: "They are OK. They have trained with the group and tomorrow they will have the medical all clear an be available [for Malaga]."
-Rakitic's goal: "We encourage players to shoot from distance and that is what he has done. It's important in a team that wants to vary their attacks."
-Sergio Busquets: "He is very intelligent and with a special capacity to recover the ball and to play it immediately."
-Sergi Samper: "Sergi gives us guarantees for the future. It's nice that he has gone from the Escola FCB into the first team - I didn't know that."
-Munir El Haddadi: "Munir supports us with the ball, goals, defensive work, movement... He's a player that helps and will add a lot in the immediate future."