“This team is hungry for titles”

Barça tries to overcome the problems it is experiencing in recent weeks for the injuries caused mostly by the excessive load in the European Championship and in the Copa América with the Spanish Super Cup this weekend just around the corner.

The azulgrana team will face Movistar Inter this Saturday in the semifinals (two in the afternoon) with Palma-ElPozo next (4:00 p.m.) in an appointment that will be played in Jerez de la Frontera and in which they will not be able to count on the injured Sergio Lozano or Matheus, while Carlos Ortiz will be a serious doubt .

Recovered from the physical problems that have plagued him in recent months, the Russian-Brazilian Leandro Esquerdinha has analyzed how the team arrives to this important title in an interview with the club’s media in which he also recalled the serious injury he suffered in the Super Cup that Barça won in 2019.

What comes to mind when you think of the Super Cup?

It’s a mix of everything. The joy of the titles won and also the bitter taste of the injury in the Guadalajara final. Over time we tend to forget the bad times and the good memories weigh more. And even more so when the date is approaching and you think that you can relive those good moments of the conquests. And that is what we will try to do on Saturday and Sunday, recover the Super Cup title.

Do you like the final four format?

Like everything in life, it has its pros and cons. It is a format designed to benefit the show and is very attractive to the public and that is always good to sell our sport, although on a physical level it is very hard to play two games on two consecutive days and even more so in a calendar as full of competitions as the of this season. In the end, the issue of the format is not in our hands and what is up to us is to prepare ourselves to face what lies ahead with maximum motivation. And for us the Super Cup is an important title.

Inter is not going through its best moment…

Do not trust because sport has no memory. Inter is always a dangerous opponent, they have a special competitive gene, and they are even more dangerous in a single game and with a title at stake. They are games in which dynamics do not count.

Do they have the thorn stuck in last season finals?

Of course it hurt and we don’t want history to repeat itself, but we really didn’t think about it. They are different seasons and different templates. We want to win because we are an ambitious group, without looking back. This team is hungry for titles and the time has come to prove it.

Is the lesson learned?

They keep their hallmarks. They have a very dynamic and very intense game and everything happens to match their intensity. It will be the key.

And how does Barça arrive?

We are in a somewhat complicated moment, as the coach said. After the European Championship and the Copa América we have had many injuries and the team has lost its spark a bit, this is how it is. But we knew that this could happen and we did not look for excuses. We have a squad to overcome this bump and we also have the help of the reserve team players. It is also true that with a title at stake everything is different and I am convinced that we will rise to the occasion.

How are you personally?

I feel very well physically and mentally. The only thing I need is to finish picking up the rhythm after a difficult start to the season. But now I feel very good and ready to face what is coming.

a little over a year ago decided the Copa del Rey final in Malaga with a bracedo we repeat?

First you have to think about winning, which is the really important thing, but if I can contribute goals and influence the game, then even better! As long as I can contribute my grain of sand for the benefit of the group, it will be positive for everyone.

Apart from Inter and Barça, there will also be ElPozo and Palma, who just beat them. Is there a favourite?

Really not. It is very even and we have to worry only about ourselves. Right now we don’t think beyond the game against Inter and then we’ll think about the final if we have the wisdom to qualify.