Martino seeks right Barca response
Print Edition
Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino has urged his side to bounce back from its first defeat of the season to Ajax Amsterdam in midweek when it travels to face Athletic Bilbao today.
The players, as well as Martino himself, criticized the Catalans’ lack of intensity and focus as they were beaten in Holland having already sealed their passage into the last 16 of the Champions League.
And he is hoping the negative reaction to their display will ensure there will be no repeat performance in what appears to be their toughest match remaining between now and the winter break in three weeks’ time.
“What we need to do is show a different face, we need to change what we did in the first 45 minutes, no matter who the opponent is. I don’t want to speak about a process. Before we had won by four goals and I would sign up to losing one game in every 20.
“We lacked intensity compared with Ajax who were playing with a very different need and that showed. We need to show we have learned from the errors we committed. We have spoken and we all recognize it.”
Barcelona will once again be without long-term absentees Lionel Messi, Victor Valdes and Jordi Alba, while defenders Dani Alves and Carles Puyol would also miss the trip to the Basque country.
Adriano and Alexis Sanchez do though return to Martino’s 18-man squad, whilst Sergio Busquets will start having been rested in midweek.
Bilbao is unbeaten in six games since the opening of its new stadium in September and could move up to fourth with a win following Villarreal’s 1-1 draw with Malaga on Friday.
Martino has consistently stressed that his side’s injury problems cannot be used as an excuse given the depth of quality it has on offer. And he said it was the strength of Bilbao rather than Barcelona’s sizeable injury list that is causing him most concern.
“The opponent is very difficult, they are a team replete with technically gifted, good players and they worry me.”
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