Espanyol Coach Constantin Galca congratulated Barcelona counterpart Luis Enrique on being voted Coach of the Year ahead of the Copa del Rey derby.
Enrique was recognised at the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala and Galca used his tribute to the trainer to illustrate the good relationship between the clubs in an effort to ward off altercations similar to those seen in the first leg, which ended 4-1 to Barca with a tunnel scuffle after.
“My relationship with Enrique is very good. I congratulate him for being voted best Coach in the world, deservedly, and in the future I wish him more success,” AS quotes Galca as saying before commenting on his meeting with Enrique.
“It’s a way to convey to fans that although in the first leg there was tension, we hope it doesn’t happen at our ground.
“We want to play well, and, through that, to win. We know it’s very complicated, but we will try.
“I hope everyone, both fans and players, focus only on the game. The fans support the team and nothing else. We need them, but they’re on our side. There’s no need to go further. It’s a game of football and nothing more.”
