Barcelona take on Villarreal looking to stay on pace for the League title once again.Luis Enrique believes that Barca’s first league match of 2017 is an important one and rightfully so as they go to El Madrigal.
For Barcelona, the margin for error is really slim in 2017 when it comes to league play. Real Madrid, their biggest rivals, have been excellent and lead the way in La Liga going into the new year. On the other hand, Barca have dropped points on many occasions to teams that they should beat. With a tough test coming, Barca must be ready to play their best football. Luis Enrique shares these sentiments as he talked about the upcoming match with Villarreal.
“There is a margin of error, but we aren’t where we want to be. We must win to put pressure on the league leaders and try to catch up,” he said. The league leaders, Real Madrid, have set a torrid pace in La Liga and are unbeaten in 39 straight matches across all competitions.
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“We are coming into this game against Villarreal knowing how good they are as a team,” Lucho added. “They are the team who have conceded the least number of goals thanks to their coach’s great work over the last few years. They are an attacking team who can score goals but also hard to break down and good in defense.” Fran Escriba has done great things for Villarreal. He has his side in the top 6 of La Liga once again. The team has been consistent over the last few years getting to European football on those occasions.
As for Lucho the goal is really simple as always. They want to get the points that are badly needed to start the year off the right way. He knows that the team and himself must respond well after a tough defeat in their first match of the calendar year. “We want the three points and know we will have to play very well to get them as it will be a difficult game,” he mentioned. “They are near the top of the table and they do things the right way. It will be hard as they want possession just as much as we do. We will have to press well and be reliable when in possession of the ball. The key is to dominate the ball against a team like this.”
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Overall, Luis Enrique thinks that the team deserved more than a draw against Athletic in their last match. However, the Barca boss acknowledged that there are things that can carry over into their first La Liga clash of 2017. In addition to this, they’ll have to be very sharp as Villarreal are an excellent coached team with a lot of talent. We’ll see how Barca responds to more adversity.