- Title: Barca prepare for Celta Vigo trip with Iniesta set for a 600th appearance
- Date: 1st October 2016
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (OCTOBER 1, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BARCELONA PLAYERS ON TRAINING PITCH BARCELONA FORWARD NEYMAR WALKING ONTO TRAINING PITCH BARCELONA STRIKER LUIS SUAREZ WALKING ONTO TRAINING PITCH BARCELONA CENTRE BACK GERARD PIQUE WITH NEYMAR AND SUAREZ ON TRAINING PITCH BARCELONA COACH LUIS ENRIQUE SEATED ON A TROLLEY VARIOUS OF PLAYERS ON TRAINING PITCH BARCELONA GOALKEEPER MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN TRAINING VARIOUS OF PLAYERS ON TRAINING PITCH ENRIQUE ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM CLOSE OF ENRIQUE CAMERAMEN / ENRIQUE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCELONA COACH, LUIS ENRIQUE, TALKING ABOUT LIONEL MESSI INJURY, SAYING: "Unfortunately last season we spent two months without Leo (Lionel Messi) and he sustained another injury this season. It is necessary for a great team to win titles and that's what we have done. You also need a good team performance with different solutions. I think this is vital and essential, I appreciate it in a positive way." PLAYERS ON TRAINING PITCH (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCELONA COACH, LUIS ENRIQUE, ON ANDRES INIESTA, SAYING: "We have to value Andres' (Iniesta) 599 matches, maybe 600 tomorrow. I hope and I'm sure he adds many more in the future. It is something we all should be proud of not only because of his performance. Of course if he would have played in a horrible way nobody would have remembered him, but this is not the case so we can only enjoy him." ANDRES INIESTA AND TEAMMATES ON THE TRAINING PITCH (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCELONA COACH, LUIS ENRIQUE, SAYING: "Celta is a very dangerous team for their philosophy, their players and the way they try to play. We know, due to previous games against them in recent years, how difficult is to face them. They are a team with a very good pressure and they know what to do with the ball when they have it." ENRIQUE LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM
- Embargoed: 16th October 2016 14:38
- Keywords: Barcelona Celta Vigo soccer La Liga Luis Enrique
- Location: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- City: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0015269MIN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said on Saturday (October 1) that he was pleased with the way his side has performed without their injured talisman Lionel Messi and praised midfielder Andres Iniesta as he approaches his 600th club appearance.
Barca head to Celta Vigo on the back of an emphatic 5-0 win at Sporting Gijon and a second-half turnaround to beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 in the Champions League, winning both games without the injured Messi.
"Unfortunately last season we spent two months without Leo (Messi) and he sustained another injury this season. It is necessary for a great team to win titles and that's what we have done. You also need a good team performance with different solutions. I think this is vital and essential, I appreciate it in a positive way," Luis Enrique told a news conference ahead of the visit to his former club Celta, adding that the Argentinian maestro was recovering well from his groin problem.
Enrique paid tribute to midfield magician Andres Iniesta as the Spain international prepares to make his 600th appearance for the La Liga champions.
Iniesta is Barca's second highest all-time appearance maker behind former midfield partner Xavi Hernandez and has been the club captain since Xavi left in 2015.
The 32-year-old made his Barca debut in 2002 when Luis Enrique was still playing for the club. The Spain international recently marked 20 years since joining Barcelona's youth academy and will rack up 600 games if selected against Celta Vigo on Sunday (October 2).
"We have to value Andres' (Iniesta) 599 matches, maybe 600 tomorrow. I hope and I'm sure he adds many more in the future. It is something we all should be proud of not only because of his performance. Of course if he would have played in a horrible way nobody would have remembered him, but this is not the case so we can only enjoy him," said Enrique.
Enrique coached Celta in the 2013-14 season and has endured difficult games in his two visits to Balaidos stadium with Barca, scraping a 1-0 win in his first season and losing 4-1 last term.
"Celta is a very dangerous team for their philosophy, their players and the way they try to play. We know, due to previous games against them in recent years, how difficult is to face them. They are a team with a very good pressure and they know what to do with the ball when they have it," he said.
The coach also backed his new striker Paco Alcacer, who he took off early in the second half against Moenchengladbach when Barca were losing 1-0.
The Spain international is yet to score since signing from Valencia late in the transfer window shut and was heavily criticised in the Spanish press for his display in Germany. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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