Enrique dismisses Barca conspiracy

Luis Enrique has dismissed the conspiracy theory that La Liga teams would rather Real Madrid win the title than Barcelona ahead of Real Betis.

Betis goalkeeper Antonio Adan admitted on Friday that he hoped his side did Madrid a favour by beating Barca 24 hours later – a sentiment shared by Real Sociedad’s Asier Illarramendi, another former Blanco – but Enrique believes it is normal players have an affinity with teams other than their own.

“The players are feeling very well, while aware of the complications [they face], more so away from home,” the Coach said at a Press conference.

“In our roadmap, we never envisage lost points, but football is like this.

“I wouldn’t call what he experienced a crisis, but they were three games in which we lacked fluidity, lack etc.

“The more pressure on us to get points, the more difficult it will be.

“I have no proof of [Real Betis and Real Sociedad wanting Real Madrid to win the title].

“The League is won by the best team over 38 games. [What Adan and Illarra said] doesn’t worry us.

“It’s normal to have fans within the profession, but that won’t affect us.

“[Juan] Merino turned Betis’ sporting situation around. They flood attacking areas and look to score.

“Fans always favour our opponents, but we won’t change our approach at all.

“Being safe [from relegation] can stimulate them, but we have the obligation to win the match.

“We would’ve preferred to play every three days, but it wasn’t to be.

“Of the three, I don’t think there’s a game that stands out as the most difficult. It depends on how we are.

“We started [the season] with the intention of winning everything, and now we aspire to win the League and cup.

“We knew the difficulty of repeating [the treble], but we’ll go [for the double] for the remainder of the season.

“Each of our rivals can do what they want. We know the difficulty of being a Barca player and Coach.

“[On Saul Niguez], we don’t talk about players who aren’t ours. We aren’t interested in the rumours. There are many players in the football galaxy. 

“We don’t care what happened before. We have to win and it’s difficult for us if we don’t.

“No-one here thinks we’ll fail. The champions are the team who handle pressure the best.

“I’m satisfied with how everyone is doing. I won’t single anyone out.

“We can all improve our performance further. Being a Barca player means being at the centre of attention every day.

“[On Francesco Totti], why not if we were able to get him on the cheap?

“I’m happy that he’ll finish his career at Roma for what he means [to them]. He’s a living legend.

“We expect [Jeremy Mathieu] to be discharged [on Friday] so he can resume training and we’ll then be able to count on him. It’s magnificent news.

“These are our best games of the season and I won’t waste time on others, although I hope our rivals lose.

“[On Luis Suarez], what he wants is for us to win the League, above all, like the rest of the team.

“[On Gerard Pique saying it’d be a failure if Barca didn’t win the League], everyone defines things as they wish.

“You can draw conclusions when the League finished. Meanwhile, I’m only think about winning our remaining games.”

Tags Luis Enrique
La Liga - Club News