APOEL a typical opponent says Alves

Dani Alves has offered the opinion that APOEL were typical opponents Barcelona routinely come up against at Camp Nou.

Luis Enrique’s men struggled to break down the Cypriot outfit in their 1-0 Champions League victory on Wednesday, but Alves insists it is nothing the Catalans have not come up against before.

“It wasn’t a question of our [relatively inexperienced] starting line-up. It was more a problem of how our rivals set up, with plenty of men behind the ball and closing down the spaces, so it was difficult to break through them,” the Brazilian full-back told reporters post-match.

“But I think we have to be prepared for anything as most of the teams that come here do that, so it’s a struggle to overcome it.

“However, the result was never in any danger,” maintained Alves, who believes the Barca defence has improved immeasurably under Enrique this season.

“We’ve improved our defence and the results are there [with four clean sheets in four games], but the work involved in defending is not just about the defence.

“We’ve improved because the intensity and pressure is in another area. The further you defend from your own goal the better.”

Tags APOEL Dani Alves
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