The Barcelona coach, Quique Setién, assured this Friday that he still has hopes of lifting the League title and that confident that Real Madrid, leader with 68 points, will yield some point in the seven days that remain to finish the championship.
Of course I’m still convinced. There are still seven games to play and it is very difficult for even Madrid, like us, to win all the games, ”said Setién at the press conference prior to this Saturday’s league game (17:00) against Celta de Vigo. .
Barcelona, who gave up the lead after last week’s draw on his visit to Seville (0-0), need Madrid to click on one of their remaining matches, since both teams are tied on points and Zidane’s teams count with the advantage in the particular goal difference.
Setién acknowledged that Madrid is going through “a good time”, but explained that football is a sport that sometimes “surprises us” and in which everything can happen.
To questions from journalists, the Barca coach assured that, in the event of being victorious in the visit to Vigo and in the match on Tuesday at the Camp Nou against Atlético de Madrid, the team will have to work hard to arrive with options of lift the league title. “They are two complicated matches, but any match can be complicated. I understand that it will have to wait until the last day, “said the Barca coach.
Setién also commented on the possibility that the subsidiary player Riqui Puig Enjoy minutes in the next game due to the losses in the midfield of Sergi Busquets (suspended) and Frenkie De Jong (injured). The coach highlighted the progression of the young player (20 years) and his attitude, which he described as “excellent and extraordinary” since his arrival on the Barcelona bench.
“We have seen that he has given a level in the minutes he has played and in training we have seen the same commitment to what we asked for, that is the way. Now it is a question of keeping that version permanently because that is what gives more options to play, taking into account that we are in Barcelona and they are the best, “Setien added.
Arthur’s departure
The Cantabrian explained that the case of the midfielder Arthur Melo, whose transfer by Juventus could take place this same weekend, is common in a sport such as soccer, in which many players do not meet the expectations generated by their transfers.
“He is not the first or the last player to sign with great hopes and expectations and in the end they do not bear fruit for whatever reason. I don’t know if it will happen with Arthur or not, but it happens to many teams and many players. We will never know if the operation is well done or notSetien commented.
The 23-year-old Brazilian arrived in Barcelona in the summer of 2018 as a bet for the future and even he was compared to Xavi Hernández, who came to recognize finding similarities with his game.
The Barça coach said he was satisfied with Arthur’s performance in his time leading the team, but acknowledged that perhaps he lacked a little more “continuity” in the game. “It is true that there have been things that we have had to emphasize to him and he has tried to do them by all means. It is not easy to change things for a footballer that other coaches have said were very good. It lacked a bit of continuity but it is on the right track“He commented.
Regarding his possible departure at the end of the season, Setién was clear and said that, Despite the rumors, the club has not informed him about it.. What Setién did confirm is that, in the event that Arthur decides to leave Barcelona, he will speak to him to make him aware that he must isolate himself and concentrate, because he has “important things to say”. «I still count on him. In principle he will do the training and he will travel with possibilities of playing tomorrow. You have to try that all this noise does not affect you and in the event that you have to play you try to give the best of yourself “, added Setién.
To finish, the Cantabrian coach admitted that this type of situation, with player departures and negotiations before the end of the season, are abnormal and must be faced with “Professionalism and honesty” usual for its footballers. “Any player who finds himself in a situation like this has to be clear that the season is not over and he, like the rest of the teammates, surely wants to end well, win a title and leave a good memory until the last day that be here », sentenced Setién.
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