SPAIN: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Barcelona looking for seventh straight win but coach Martino looks for points not statistics
Record ID:
567043
SPAIN: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Barcelona looking for seventh straight win but coach Martino looks for points not statistics
- Title: SPAIN: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Barcelona looking for seventh straight win but coach Martino looks for points not statistics
- Date: 27th September 2013
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (SEPTEMBER 27, 2013) (REUTERS) BARCA PLAYERS ENTERING TRAINING PITCH MIDFIELDER XAVI FORWARD ALEXIS DEFENDER DANI ALVES CAMERA STRIKER LIONEL MESSI TALKING WITH COACH GERARDO 'TATA' MARTINO BARCELONA PLAYERS TRAINING VARIOUS OF GOALKEEPER VICTOR VALDES TRAINING MIDFIELDER ANDRES INIESTA TRAINING PLAYERS TRAINING BARCA COACH TATA MARTINO ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE AND SITTING DOWN CAMERAMAN MARTINO POSING JOURNALIST TYPING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCELONA COACH GERARDO 'TATA' MARTINO, SAYING: "The four attackers are really unbalancing, the two wingers make very good one to ones, Rodri and Soriano are good in the area. For me, all our rivals force us to be on a constant state of alert." JOURNALIST MARTINO AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARA COACH TATA MARTINO, SAYING: "If we get a seventh victory out of seven matches but don't manage to win the league, then it doesn't really mean much. It will only be some sort of statistic that will happen again at some point when reaching this stage in the tournament. For me, what really matters is what happens in May. That is really what matters." PHOTOGRAPHER JOURNALIST WRITING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARA COACH TATA MARTINO, SAYING: "Leo doesn't like to leave the pitch, Neymar doesn't either, Andres (Iniesta) doesn't like to sit on the bench, neither do Xavi or Cesc. Who likes that? But I was hired to take decissions regarding the health of the players in the team, and I need to make an effort and have every suitable player ready for every match we are playing." JOURNALIST TYPING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARA COACH TATA MARTINO, SAYING: "Nobody can have a doubt about how big an icon for Barca Andres Iniesta is, so all what the president (Sandro Rosell) has said and Andres has expressed about finishing his career at Barca is pretty clear." PHOTOGRAPHER MARTINO LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 12th October 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Spain
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA63IAXX3H849R1YQL6XAOXGCI1
- Story Text: Barca eye La Liga victory against struggling and win-less Almeria.
Barcelona prepared on Friday (September 27) for their league clash against Almeria on Saturday (September 28), which could give the club their seventh straight win this season, their best ever La Liga start.
A struggling Almeria have yet to win a match this season, gaining only three points from their matches. Barca won their last four meetings against the club with a tally of 19-1, including an 8-0 away victory in 2010.
But Barcelona coach Tata Martino was cautious, saying his team was always in a state of alert.
"The four attackers are really unbalancing, the two wingers make very good one-to-ones, Rodri and Soriano are good in the area. For me, all the rivals force us to be in a constant state of alert," he told reporters at a news conference.
Martino gave short shrift to the possibility of Barcelona establishing a new record for its best start.
"If we get a seventh victory out of seven matches but don't manage to win the league, then it doesn't really mean much. It will only be some sort of statistic that will happen again at some point when reaching this stage in the tournament. For me, what really matters is
what happens in May. That is really what matters," he added.
Asked again about the rotations in the team, and, especially about World Player of the Year Leo Messi, Martino said:
"Leo doesn't like to leave the pitch, Neymar doesn't either, Andres (Iniesta) doesn't like to sit on the bench, neither do Xavi or Cesc. Who likes that? But I was hired to take decisions regarding the health of the players in the team, and I need to make an effort and
have every suitable player ready for every match we are playing."
The 50 year old coach strongly endorsed the renewal of Andres Iniesta's pending contract, saying the history-making midfielder is "emblematic" of the team and should finish his career there.
"Nobody can have a doubt about how big an icon for Barca Andres Iniesta is, so all what the president (Sandro Rosell) has said and Andres has expressed about finishing his career at Barca is pretty clear," he stated.
Both Barcelona and Iniesta have been at pains to reaffirm their commitment to negotiations amid reports that the 29-year-old was reluctant to renew his contract, which expires in 2015. Iniesta's slow start and rumours of other clubs circling for signs of availability have further fuelled speculation.
Iniesta rejected the club's initial offer of 15 million euros earlier this month, according to Spanish sport publication Marca, which said the playmaker was looking for 17 million. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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