Barça is playing the Spanish Cup this week with the ambitious goal of winning the title for the seventh time
“We have to focus on Valdepeñas, because he is our rival,” explained the coach, thinking only of the quarterfinals.
Current champion and winner of three of the last four editions, the Barca faces the Spanish Cup this week with squad problems but with very high morale after linking nine consecutive victories in the League. The azulgranas will open the tournament on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the first quarterfinal against Viña Albali Valdepeñas.
Jesús Velasco fully trusts his squad despite the fact that He will not be able to count on two key players such as Ferrao and Dyego for this appointment in Granada. “Let’s see, they are two players that in any squad, whether they are there or not, they change everything., but we have many players who are in a good moment and who can contribute a lot. We arrived on a very good run and the squad is confident, although we know that Valdepeñas can hurt us and that it is a toss-up game. Let’s see if we play a good game to go to the semifinals”, commented the Barca coach.
“It’s not easy, because Dyego had been playing for around 24 minutes. He is the court player who was playing the most and has a very important specific weight, but we have many players and it is a matter of assuming responsibilities and depending on who is there and who is not there, play one way or another and assume other roles . And this staff is perfectly prepared for that”, insisted the Toledo.
“Our most complicated rival is Barça. If we play a great game, the most normal thing is that we win it and that’s the headline. The players are aware of that and that is the self-demand that we have to have to face all the games. Most of the time he is going well despite some setback we have had”, he commented in reference to the painful elimination in the Champions League.
What is very clear is that it would be a mistake to think beyond the quarterfinals. “Thursday is the game and that’s it. If we manage to win, we have an advantage if we reach the final, because the semifinal on Saturday would be against the other team that wins on Thursday. You don’t have to think about that. If you manage to reach the final , it is clear that you have an advantage, because you have one more day of rest than your rival. we have to focus only on Valdepeñas, because it is our rival“he stressed.
Barça have won their last nine league games
| FCB
“It is not the most important tournament but it is the most beautiful, because the eight strongest teams in the Spanish league meet and the whole world is watching. Each Cup is more disputed, because each time the teams are more prepared, the coaches know better what the rivals are going to do and each game is an adventure. There are favourites, but that does not mean that the favorite will win. That’s the beauty of the Cup and what makes it so interesting,” said Jesús Velasco who has won the title four times (three with Inter and last season with Barça).
The coach defended Catela’s professionalism after the serious warning that he sent him about his physical condition. “Everything has had a process and now the player has responded optimally, he is making an enormous effort and that must be appreciated a lot. He is contributing a lot and we hope he continues in this line, because he has a class that is well above average. He also has to give other things, he knows it, he is in a good moment and we hope that he will give us a good performance in the Cup and that all this will be a thing of the past”, he reflected.
The former French ACCS coach surrendered to Sergio González, who already has 17 goals in the League. “”He is a wild card player and does everything right. Also, considering that he was playing an average of 13 minutes in the league, his performance is that of a top player in his role. It’s not just the goals, it’s the tactical discipline that he has and the collaboration in the collective game. It is very complete and we are very happy with it. Also, it is his first year here and that gives more value to what he is doing. He is a boy from the house who had been away for many years and who came with all the enthusiasm and pressure to do well. He is responding in a very good way and we hope he continues like this,” he said.