Luis Enrique says Granada will be tough
ROGER BOGUNYÀ
Luis Enrique says next opponents “work hard and are strong defensively."
Saturday's lineup not influenced by next Tuesday's match in Paris.
Luis Enrique clearly understands the danger of Saturday's match versus Granada. “The team is strong defensively, they work hard, and run smooth transitions. This will not be an easy opponent."
The coach talked about his insistence on improving every day and said he believes that Wednesday's draw at Malaga shouldn't take anything away from their opponent. He emphasized that his job is to find solutions to the problems presented by each opponent but added, "we don't want to be predictable."
Other than Athletic Club, they all do the same thing.
He pointed out that until now all their opponents, except Bilbao, have concentrated players on defence in an attempt to thwart Barça's deadly efficient attack. “They all do the same thing”, he said, well aware that Granada will likely try the same strategy.
Not surprisingly, the coach has assured everyone that Saturday's lineup will not be determined by next week's match in Paris. "It’s not about the coming week. It's about the coming three weeks," he said.
When asked about the current Liga standings, Luis Enrique admitted that he doesn't dislike a more competitive race. “Up until last year it looked like only two teams could win the title, and then came Atletico Madrid, and maybe there could be more contenders this year. I think it would be more entertaining for everyone."
I think it's great that more teams fight for the title. It's more entertaining for everyone.
Barça are currently even atop the table with Valencia and Sevilla.
The coach also wanted to let it be known that he believes that Xavi has continued to play his role perfectly and that he has the confidence Xavi could play more if needed.
One thing that Luis Enrique did not want to get into, however, was Claudio Bravo's shutout streak, which is now at five games. "I don't want to jinx it," he insisted. "If we win, all that other stuff doesn't matter."