Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has claimed that Luis Suarez justified his €81m transfer fee against Real Madrid in the Clasico on Sunday.
The big-money arrival from Liverpool last summer netted the winning goal on the hour mark at Camp Nou to secure La Blaugrana a 2-1 victory over their arch-rivals, and the Coach believes his club have been left vindicated.
“Madrid are a candidate for everything and on a similar level to us, but we deserved this win and I must congratulate my players, who are known to endure suffering,” he said after the game.
“This win gives us much credit to victory, considering we faced many difficulties in the game. I’m happy, we could have scored more goals, but so could Real Madrid.
“There are 10 very important games coming up in the League and anyone can lose points. We’re top, like we wanted to be. Barca are leaders in their own right and I’m glad we’re there.
“In the first half we struggled to press and Madrid took control [of the game]. In the second half, we acknowledged [Madrid’s] struggles going forward and the goal gave us peace.
“We then had plenty of chances to score more goals. It was a complete match between two of the best teams in the world and a great win for us, which is important but not in any case decisive.
“We always have the objective of keeping the ball and creating chances with it, but when your opponents match you, you have to adapt.
“Against opponents of [Madrid’s] quality, they don’t give you the conditions you want to play in.
“There were times when we were overtaken and had to seek better defensive transitions, with long periods of possession and greater stability.
“[Gerard] Pique is on track to be the best centre-back in the world. He’s in a great run of form and hopefully it stays that way.
“Luis Suarez’s goal shows exactly why we paid what we paid for him.
“[Claudio] Bravo made some saves, as did Casillas. We had more chances, and our prolificacy in front of goal earned us the result. Football can be unjust, but I liked our performance, especially for the result.”
