Barcelona coach Quique Setién said on Tuesday that he is aware that the club are “happy” with the work of their coaching staff at the head of the first team and that they never had the feeling that their future would change before victory in Villarreal (1-4).
«The constancy that I have from the club is that they are happy with the work we do and this is what I have focused on. I do not live a day, I try to see things with a little perspective, “Setien explained at the press conference before the game on Wednesday (22:00) against Espanyol at the Camp Nou.
In this way, the Barça coach reaffirms the words of Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu, who this morning assured in radio interviews that Setién will continue to lead the team.
In relation to the moment of Barcelona, the Cantabrian said again that he is happy with the performance of his players and defended his work against Sevilla (0-0), Celta (2-2) and Atlético de Madrid (2-2), matches in which he considers that, had they had the same success in front of goal as in Villareal, they would have won without problems.
“There have been many things besides the goals that we are doing well and with which we are extremely satisfied,” said Setién, who was especially critical of the press in his speech.
The Barcelona coach assured that the media only focus on “goals, victories and defeats” to draw conclusions about the continuity of the coaches.
“This is the circus, I accept it, but you don’t convince me that the team has been wrong. I have my criteria after analyzing all the games and minutes played; parties in which we have done things very well we have had many », sentenced.
Setién also took the opportunity to evaluate the use of the VAR, an element that, despite considering that it is not being used in a “unified” way, is not to blame for the poor results of the team or for the victories of Real Madrid.
The culé technician described the VAR as an “extraordinary tool” that is not being used “in the best way”. “There is always a team at a specific moment that is benefited and another is harmed,” he said.
Despite the four points that separate Barça from Real Madrid in the absence of four days, Setién was confident for the final stretch of La Liga, a competition he believes he can win.
“The mathematics shows it, we have to keep hope until the last day, without thinking about what the rival does, but in us to win all the games,” he said.
When asked by journalists, the coach highly appreciated Antoine Griezmann’s work against Villareal, although he acknowledged that he prefers to see things in perspective instead of being guided by the sensations of a single match.
About Arthur Melo, whose transfer to Juventus was made official last week, Setién acknowledged that the current situation “is not the same as before” when his departure was known.
“He keeps training and tries to do his best, then there are the decisions that I have to make to align him or not, but this depends on many other things,” he said.
Lastly, the Barça coach spoke about the match with Espanyol tomorrow, a commitment that he sees as difficult, since he understands that the derbies are matches “that have nothing to do with the moment each team is going through.”
“It is not Barcelona that is going to send Espanyol to the second division, this is a consequence of a process throughout the year,” he concluded.
Bartomeu: «Messi wants to retire at Barça»
The president of FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu, commented on Tuesday that he was not “worried about” the future of Leo Messi, because the Argentinean “has always said that he wants to retire here and I am convinced that it will be so.”
This was stated by the leader in two interviews on RAC1 and ‘Catalunya Ràdio’, “I am not worried about the future of Messi (contract ends in 2021). Leo has always said that he wants to retire here and I am convinced that it will be so. It is evident that we have an obligation to renew it. He is the best player in history and I see him with the will to continue, “he assured.
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