FC Barcelona’s Arturo Vidal who is suspended for the game against Napoli gave an interview to Mundo Deportivo where he talked about the Champions League, his future, the team’s preparations for the game, and more.
“I will get a Champions League tattoo somewhere on my body if we win it, I have thought about it. This is a promise I have made to myself,” the Chilean international told Mundo Deportivo. He will not be able to help the team against Napoli at the Camp Nou tomorrow due to a suspension.
If he intends to complete his contract at Barcelona: “I have one year left on my contract and with everything that has happened, at this moment I feel important, I am very fond of the team, I have very good friends and I hope to finish my contract. I want to win the Champions League and if God wants, next year I would like to go for the treble.”
About people criticizing him for not having “the Barcelona DNA”: “If they criticize like that, they don’t know about football. Football is constantly changing, there is a DNA here, for many years, but football is evolving. People who speak, I think have stayed in the past.”
His two years with Barcelona: “They have been two spectacular years personally. I met a very nice group, spectacular players, incredible fans, a support that made me feel at home and I hope it ends with something very good, that is the Champions League.”
His message to the teammates for tomorrow’s game: “It is going to be a very sad game personally for not being able to be there, I would have loved it, but that’s football. My support is always there. We are preparing ourselves to the maximum, trying to encourage at every moment and that tomorrow, which is the most important game of the year, try to do everything to be able to move forward and continue thinking about the dream we have, which is to raise the Champions League trophy.”
About tomorrow’s game: “Napoli will arrive after playing recently and we have gotten two weeks of rest, but this match is different. It doesn’t matter how much each team has played. Whoever puts in more effort on the field, tries harder, will surely get through. We are very focused on what we want and we know that if we do things right, we can get through.”
“We have to face them like Barcelona, go all out and look for the goal from the first minute, play our game, be aggressive all the time and demonstrate what we want, give a message in this game of what we intend in the future.”
“Napoli are here to win as well, they have a very good team, a coach who gives them a lot, with a lot of character. That is their strength, so we have to go out with maximum concentration and try to take advantage of our opportunities.”
About possibly facing his former team Bayern Munich in quarter-finals: “Yes, but I don’t want to think about that at this moment, I want to wait for this match. Like the Barcelona that we are, we have a duty to win this Champions League because we have everything, the team, and the players, but first, we must give a lot of respect for Napoli. If we do things right, we can beat anyone.”
Winning the Champions League and being prepared psychologically about it: “For a group of players like us at Barça, we always want to win, and clearly this is the one that is closest to us (Champions League), there are a total of 4 games left and we have to do our best to win it. All of us here are hungry to continue fighting for the titles, not only this year but also next year.”
“Liverpool was an experience that will be remembered by all the players who were there because of how it was lost and clearly we do not want it to happen again. It is important to be focused and know when to charge so that the other team does not get a chance to strike back.”
“We all are aware about what happened after the Alavés game, the opportunity to win the League was lost, so now we know that we cannot let the Champions League slip through our hands. We are going to leave our hearts out on pitch to achieve our objective, that is to be the Champions of the Champions League.”
About Arthur: “It is a subject in which I do not want to get involved because I do not know what happened. I have a lot of affection and a lot of respect for him. I hope he does well.”
Messi: “He is very motivated and focused. He is the captain and the best in the world and if he is well, he will guide us to the title, but we must help him. We will try to make the most of him.”
On Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig: “Well, I see them well, working hard, preparing well, but they must go step by step. They are taking advantage of their minutes, but it is not easy to be a part of the best team in the world, to stay here is always difficult because there is a lot of competition, and they, as young players, should take it that way, go step by step, gain minutes and make the most of it because they have a lot of talent and they have a bright future, but they have to take things slowly.”
About Setién continuing next season or not: “When you are in the best team in the world, people ask you for results and when the season is not satisfactory, you always have to make decisions which are best for the club. We will see what happens in the future, the people in charge have to decide what is the best option for Barcelona.
“If we fail to win the Champions League then clearly they will have to make some decisions, but if he continues, that is justified as well, because he is a good coach, who always interacts with his players and knows what is best for them.”
