BARCELONA, 22 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The FC Barcelona player Jules Koundé assured that “the best Barça” will be seen this Thursday at Old Trafford against Manchester United, in the second leg of the Europa League play-offs, although he believes that they will have to give one more pass compared to the 2-2 of the first leg at the Camp Nou.
“A good defense is collective work, not just the goalkeeper and the four defenders. We all attack and defend. Everyone has to do their job and I’m sure that tomorrow we will see the best Barça”, he predicted at a press conference.
“The defense is good this season, it has been key in general. It will be a great challenge against a very powerful forward, we have to go one step further even though the team is responding well. I have a lot of confidence in everyone, we have to do very well”, added.
This yes, the French defender thinks that they have to go one step further compared to last week. “We have to increase the intensity, it’s going to be key to press well to recover high balls and do damage. If we press well, it will give us things. They are a great rival, in a historic stadium but we really want to win and go through the round” he assured.
Having to beat a great rival and in a historic fiefdom puts added pressure, but he believes that it is “good”. “It’s a pressure that we like, we want to play these big games. It’s a pressure, true, but it’s not negative. On the contrary, it’s very positive because you want to give more. It’s one more step to take, but I have a lot of trust in the team and that it responds tomorrow”, he reiterated.
“We don’t have the feeling of taking a hit, we want to play a good game and get through the round. We’re playing against a big opponent, with great players and in a historic stadium. But we want to win to get through the round and pursue our goal of winning the Europa League” , he explained, in this sense.
“In some situations, sometimes the game went back and forth and it’s something we don’t want. We seek to have control of the game. Not because we didn’t follow the game plan. In the end, we drew against a great rival and tomorrow we have another chance to take a step forward in Europe and the team is very motivated”, he concluded.
Asked about Marcus Rashford, he assured that he is a “very versatile” player who does a lot on the field. “It’s very difficult to stop both on the counter and when he attacks the box. But he has a great team around him, and it’s not difficult for his teammates to find him,” he stressed.