“We have the ‘thorn’ of the lost final inside us and we want to get it out”
BARCELONA, 30 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Barça Femení player Mariona Caldentey assured that the team believes in their chances of winning the second Women’s Champions League in the entity’s history on Saturday, in the third consecutive final and where they hope to repeat the feat of 2021, when they won the title against Chelsea, and remove the ‘thorn’ of last year, with a defeat against Olympique de Lyon.
“We lost the first final, we won the second, and now I hope history repeats itself. It does more damage to analyze the defeats and it’s more complicated, but when you win it’s easier to forget why you won and when you lose, the ‘runrún’ remains and It’s a game that works for us, we have that ‘thorn’ inside us that we want to get rid of on Saturday”, he assured the media at the club’s ‘Media Day’ about that final against Wolfsburg, on Saturday in Eindhoven.
This third consecutive final, the fourth since 2019, comes at a good time for Barça Femení, with many days of preparation and recovery of legs and mind. “The team is convinced, we believe in our opportunities, we believe in the work we’ve been doing all year and all the years before, and obviously we’re positive about that,” she said.
In addition, those final plays give them baggage. “Playing in finals gives us a lot of experience and I think the team arrives at a more mature point. I think conceding a goal so quickly in Turin took us out of the game a bit. We have to be prepared for this to happen and if they score against us in minute 1 or the last one, don’t deviate us from the marked line”, he remarked regarding the lost final of last year.
“A final is a minimum of 90 minutes. And it’s normal that there are moments when you have to have more control, moments when you have to suffer more. And I think we are a team that knows how to better manage these situations, not to get stressed if not we have the driver or to come back. We are a more mentally prepared team”, he added.
Despite winning them last year, he denied that they are favorites against the Germans. “We know that Wolfsburg have their strong points and surely they will also have the same desire, but obviously the intention is to go for the game and win, we believe that we have options,” acknowledged the Blaugrana striker.
“It’s a game to win the title that we love the most and we have to try to clear our minds a bit and be prepared for what the team needs, whether it’s playing 90, 20, 0 minutes or whatever. The message is a bit in the changing room is we are going to be positive, we are going to add”, he pointed out about the atmosphere that is breathed in the bowels of the team.
“In my case, I’ve been injured, I’ve been out, and so it’s normal that when you’re not there, other people play who do well. Each one looks for her, but in the end, everyone is working to deserve to play and that pain in head is for Jonatan, not for us”, he pointed out on a personal level.
However, being able to finish the campaign in the green gives him wings and confidence for this last game. “I feel good, I ended up playing and training, so in the end it’s a game about the lack of rhythm, of minutes. When it’s a game, the adrenaline and the head all pull and I’m calm in that aspect because I feel good “, he contributed.