Ronald Koeman gave a press conference ahead of FC Barcelona’s LaLiga game against Granada at home. He talks about Messi, LaLiga title race, tomorrow’s match, and more.
Barcelona faces Granada at Camp Nou, a win here will take them one step closer to the LaLiga title. 6 finals remaining!
About LaLiga:
“Winning the league would be amazing but first we have to win this game. It is an unexpected situation if you look back at the start of the league. Being able to fight to win the league is something great and we have achieved that. But in order to win the league, we must continue winning every game. We have a long way to go.”
Tomorrow’s game:
“It is an important match, like any other ones. We are under a lot of pressure, hence we cannot fail to win it. We need points and it is more important than any previous matches we have played. It is a fight between all four teams and the team which wins all the matches will become the champion.”
Public attendance during matches:
“If we can have an audience, it is good footballers as well as for football. Not to mention having the public in your favor helps a lot. I saw the audience attending games in Holland and it makes the games more exciting.”
Team’s mentality:
“I haven’t seen the players thinking that the job is done. They are very concentrated. Now we may be the favorite, but we don’t think so. We know the difficulty of winning the games. There are no easy matches. The team has learned to go step by step, it’s the best way. What comes next is not the important thing. What matters is tomorrow.”
“I don’t know if Barcelona is the team with the strongest mentality and I don’t know about the other teams. We’re strong. We have had difficult moments, but we have come through, the triumph in Copa speaks for itself. We are missing five or six games. The team that dominates this will win the league.”
About Griezmann:
“Griezmann is a very important player for me, and we have been critical of the effectiveness of our strikers. But I like it. He is a team player, he always works hard and we know he also depends on his streak. He has been unlucky, but at the moment he is in full confidence. He is at an important moment and it’s helping the team.”
Winning record:
“We have a record of 15 wins in the last 17 games. It’s a bit impressive. It has to be this way in order to fight for the championship. You need the other teams not to win their games. The team has learned from the mistakes and now is doing better. The team is confident and has increased effectiveness.”
Neymar:
“Neymar is not a Barcelona player. We work with our players and have shown that we can fight. It is not guaranteed that you win when you have the best players. The possibilities are more, but the past does not count.”
About resting players:
“The most important thing for me is the team. If any player is not well to play the game, there is a possibility to change. If the computer is working, there is no need to touch too much. It’s hard for the substitute, but the most important thing is the team. Let’s rate the freshness.”
PSG’s offer to Messi:
“I’m not interested, I don’t know if it’s true. I hope Leo will continue with us. For me, he has to end his career here because he has been here all his life, but in the end it is a decision that Leo has to make. I’m not worried at all, Winning tomorrow is the only thing that interests me.”
Search for a number nine:
“We are clearly working on it for the next season. In the areas which need improvement. We have managed to come this far with the players we have at disposal and without Ansu Fati, who is one of the important youth player. We are the team that has generated the most chances and we have scored 76 goals. Without having few more players that make difference, we have been able to win matches.”
“As a coach I always try to improve the team but it depends on the financial situation of the club. There will be time to discuss this issue. It is in the hands of the club. I, with (Román) Planes, and Alemany decided that it is most necessary, but the president will have the final say.”
“In the end, being at the top of the league is the best option but we’re not number one yet.”
This concludes Koeman’s press conference.
