Eduardo Berizzo has hailed the ‘mental strength’ of his Celta Vigo players following their 1-0 victory over Barcelona.
Joaquin Larrivey’s 55th-minute winner secured three points for the Galicians, who move into the European places, and their Coach praised the side’s resolve to overcome Barca’s dominance and ultimately find the winning goal.
“We had a lot of mental strength to survive and the oxygen to score the goal. We must be fair and recognise that if Barca had scored first, things would have been very different, but we knew we could play,” he told reporters.
“[Barca] had chances, but our goalkeeper did well. The success is not receiving comfortable. Beyond our defensive work, our means to an end were fine.
“Of course [Nolito could play for Barca], as he’s from the Cule philosophy, like all the great players.
“Barca force you to play at your highest level, and as the leader, I'm happy with the result we got.
“The team was able to respond in sensational fashion at all times and earned themselves the victory.
“The Coach's job is to find a system which incorporates the feelings of all the players and excludes no-one.
“In this type of scenario, the entire team strove to stop [Barca]. We’re better if we play as a team.”
