Both Ronald Koeman and Sergio Busquets spoke to the press as Barça will face Athletic Club in the Spanish Super Cup final. Coach and player were optimistic and confident about Sunday’s decisive match, which could turn into the season’s first title.
The press conference started with a kind message from Busquets, who wished a speedy recovery for Sergio Lozano, a player from the futsal team who has suffered a severe injury. He spoke in the name of the team to do so, and also said that they are highly motivated to achieve the first trophy of the season.
“The team is getting better, we’re very confident and I hope it translates to the pitch tomorrow”, Busi said. And altough he doesn’t think that winning this title will change everything, he considers that a victory tomorrow will “be proof that we’re on the right path, playing better and getting used to the coach’s requirements”.
ADAPTING TO CHANGES
Regarding the new formation, Busquets assured that they feel more comfortable with 4-3-3 because it’s what they’ve always played at Barça, but it goes beyond that: “We’ve improved as a team and it happens to be at the same time of the change in the formation”.
The situation outside the locker room looks more concerning to the veteran, since he said it’s a “critical situation” with the pandemic and the lack of board of directors: “We wanted the voting to be done as soon as possible, but health goes first. We hope that we get rid of this situation and can figure everything out”.
EYES ON THE PRIZE
When journalists asked Busquets about the rival, he didn’t want to choose between Real Madrid and Athletic: “I didn’t care. The important thing is us and our momentum. We must not underestimate Athletic. It’s going to be a really difficult match”, he told, and added that they’ve been focused on the recovery from the tough match on Wednesday to be 100% ready for the final.
Koeman also highlighted the toughness of the Supercopa’s rivals and praised Athletic’s hard work to be there: “They deserved to win. Football is like that, and if you fight you can make anything happen”. Nonetheless, he showed trust in his players to win, and stated that they don’t need any motivation, but calm and concentration: “We don’t need to put pressure on ourselves. It’s a final, so it’s enough motivation. We need to prove that we’re doing things the right way. Every trophy you put your name in is important, but the match is not that decisive”, Koeman concluded.
THE MESSI SITUATION
Both Koeman and Busquets agreed that having Messi on the team improves their chances to win, but it’s up to him and his feelings about his body. “We hope that both Leo and Sergiño are available”, the midfielder said, while Koeman specified that Messi trained alone yesterday, but will be with the group. “The player has the last word, but everyone has to be 100% ready to play. It’s not the last match of the season. We’ll see how his body reacts and how he feels”.
Regarding the other injured players, Koeman didn’t want to specify dates for their returns, but guessed that Sergi Roberto could be available in around 2 weeks, while Ansu Fati will last a little longer. However, he was very clear about the situation of the club with possible signings: “I heard that I’m upset or unhappy. That’s not true. I’m happy, I’m aware of the club’s financial limitations and if we can’t, we can’t. We go ahead with what we have”. Just in the same line, he confirmed that Neto’s agent asked for a transfer, since the goalkeeper wants to be more important in a team and play more, but Koeman said no: “We don’t want to sell him because he’s a good player and we want to be strong in every position”, the dutchman concluded.
