Coach Koeman and midfielder Miralem Pjanić give a press conference ahead of the clash against Juventus.
After a bitter defeat in El Clásico on Saturday, FC Barcelona face Italian giants Juventus in Allianz stadium on Wednesday in the second round of the Champions League group fixtures.
Miralem Pjanić:
About playing against Juventus: “I am very happy to play against my former team. I have spent 4 beautiful years here. Tomorrow’s game will be difficult, they also want to finish the group on top. We have to be prepared.”
On his playing time: “Of course I want to play. Currently, I am adapting. I arrived a bit late than the others because of the Coronavirus. I think I can contribute many things, but the only thing that matters to me is that the team does well in La Liga and the Champions League. In the league things are not as we want them to be, but the season is very long. This team has lot of qualities and can achieve many great things. I hope to play tomorrow. ”
“This type of competition exist in the big clubs, it’s normal, I am here to help the team. What I have to do is train well, and then the coach decides.”
On Griezmann: “Griezmann is a player who is an attacker, a scorer, and it is important for him to score goals. You have to respect the coach’s decisions. He is a great player and I am sure he will do well in the next matches. When he starts scoring goals, it will be very important for the team. If he plays tomorrow, he will play a good game.”
On Juventus’ current form: “Juventus need a little time to adapt to what Pirlo wants, it is normal for this to happen at first. This game will be very difficult. I know how they are as a team and it will be a tough game.”
On Messi: “Messi is the best player of all time and it is a privilege to play alongside him. I am fortunate enough to have played alongside Messi as well as Cristiano.”
Ronald Koeman:
On tomorrow’s match: “It is not a decisive match but it is a match between two great teams that want to go far in the Champions League. It is important that we get a good result. We have to create opportunities and we respect the opposition a lot. It is a high-level match.”
“For everyone it is a nice game to watch and we want to see the best on the field. Ronaldo is a great player and I don’t know if he is fit to play because of the coronavirus but hopefully he will be able to play. I respect him a lot.”
“Juventus are one of the best teams in Europe. They are a strong team defensively, despite their casualties. They know how to dominate the game and have great players up front. Dybala and Morata both have a lot of quality to score goals.”
On Pirlo: “I can give opinion on Pirlo as a player. As a coach, it’s still very early to comment. To have an opportunity to coach a big team like Juventus is something special. It can be said that the situation at Juventus is same as ours but one has to be calm. I hope that he succeeds as a manager.”
On El Clásico: “I don’t regret saying what I said the other day after the game. it is not in my hands. I do not want to talk more about this. The most important thing is to focus on tomorrow’s game.”
On Barcelona: “When I decided to be a Barcelona coach, I knew that it would not be an easy challenge. Mostly because of the changes we wanted to make and the Covid issue. I just ask for peace of mind and time. Against Madrid, we were very good for 60 minutes. I saw a team with great ambition.”
“We have many top players. We have to choose those who are better prepared. Our approach for tomorrow is to try to win.”
“I’m always a coach who wants his team to have the mentality of winning, but you can’t just think about attacking. You have to find a balance between attacking and defending.”
“The Covid issue and the fitness issue influence a lot on matches. Everyone wants to play at home with their fans. There have been surprising results and I think it is because of the ongoing pandemic.”
This concludes the press conference of Koeman and Pjanić.
