Barcelona appeared to be in high spirits ahead of their second trip to the Spanish capital in four days to face Real Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Their final training session before the LaLiga Santander meeting was open to the press, which revealed a number of interesting moments.
It was not all smiles for Gerard Pique, who vented his frustration at Brazil international Malcom for twice scuppering the team’s ‘rondo’ session at 19 passes. Upon reaching 20 successful passes, the player in the middle of the circle is punished by having to run through a tunnel formed by teammates who aim kicks in the direction of the unfortunate individual.
Jordi Alba passed through a human tunnel of his teammates who congratulated him for his contract renewal which will tie him down with the club until 2024. He was also congratulated by his coach Ernesto Valverde ahead of the training session.
Arthur will have been grateful to his fellow countryman as it was he who would have faced the punishment on both occasions. While he did manage to avoid a few bruises, Arthur’s ego still suffered some damage as he was nutmegged by 19-year-old Jean-Clair Todibo.
However, Ernesto Valverde was keen to play down talk of a possible treble ahead of Saturday’s LaLiga Santander meeting with rivals Real Madrid. Despite heading into the game on the back of a 3-0 win at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu which sealed Barcelona’s place in the Copa del Rey final, Valverde was not prepared to get carried away. A win at the same location on Saturday would be a huge step towards the league title, but the Barcelona coach is intent on taking each game as it comes.
“Our idea is to win all the matches that are put in front of us. “We have not yet won a title. There is a long way to go. “One can only think about a treble when they have won two and, for now, we don’t even have one,” he stated.
Some argue that the scoreline on Wednesday flattered Barcelona, who were not at their best for large parts of the game: “It does not bother me if it said that we were brilliant or not: “If you have 25 shots and do not score any then you have a problem and if you only shoot three times then also,” he said. “We must improve. We respect the opinion of everyone.”
His side will be full of confidence after the recent win but Valverde warned that Real Madrid will have the extra incentive to gain revenge: “When a team wins you gain confidence but when you lose you seek retribution,” the 55-year-old said.”It is an opportunity for them to remove the bad taste from their mouths. “It will be a tough match and anything can happen. Winning the first match (of the week) does not guarantee anything.”