Enrique hoping for Galca talks

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique will seek talks with Espanyol counterpart Constantin Galca in a bid “to lower the tension” ahead of next week's Copa del Rey tie.

La Blaugrana cruised to a 4-0 victory over Granada in La Liga on Saturday, with Lionel Messi helping himself to a hat-trick and new boys Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan getting run-outs, but the Coach wasted no time in looking forward to the third Catalan derby of the month.

“It's normal that we went through the motions, but we don't want that to be the standard pattern when we're only 2-0 up or not in the lead by a clear margin,” he said after the game.

“We started the game with the idea of not making life difficult for ourselves and everyone played very well.

“All players are important, but I can't always give them minutes.

“I made changes [on Saturday] and now I have the possibility of sharing out minutes.

“The key will be to have everyone fresh in a few months, so everyone must get minutes.

“I won't be at the Ballon d'Or gala.

“I like [Sergi Roberto] because he is a very good decision-maker.

“I always saw him as a central midfielder, but he provides plenty of competition. He is key and will be vital in a few years.

“Granada tried to impose their style of play on us and pressed us high but didn't create enough chances.

“Still, we had to be careful because they were able to cause us problems.

“[Aleix Vidal] was good. He still lacks sharpness, but he was very fresh and dynamic, both with and without the ball.

“[Arda Turan] will get better with the more minutes he plays.

“He's still not at his best, but he gave an assist and is a player who will give us different things.

“[On Espanyol], I want football to be the focus because that's what the fans deserve, but we'll see what happens.

“I met with Sergio [Gonzalez] last season, and I'm open to talking with Galca in a bid to lower the tension if necessary.”

Tags Constantin Galca Luis Enrique
La Liga - Club News