MADRID, 7 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Athletic Club coach, Ernesto Valverde, commented this Tuesday that for his interests it is “better that Dani Olmo does not play” for FC Barcelona, because he is “an extraordinary player”, although he regrets “the situation” he is experiencing, but also He highlighted the players that the Barça entity has “between the lines”, such as Marc Casadó, Gavi or Pedri González.
“Dani Olmo is an extraordinary player and the fact that he cannot play for us tomorrow is better. I am sorry for the situation he is in, because he is a player who can play gives prestige to the competition, but if he does not play against us it is better” , stated the coach regarding the attacker’s non-registration in the press conference prior to the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup that pits the red and whites against Barcelona.
Valverde commented that they must take into account how Barça plays in order to plan the match, taking into account their “potential” in “certain positions.” “They have a high line but they also try to suffocate you in those interior areas. In addition, they have players between the lines with Casadó, Gavi and Pedri with many possibilities for the game, and players who play you in space like Raphinha who you have to always be aware of looking back,” he added.
Regarding the moment that Barça is going through, the ‘txingurri’ explained that the pace that Barça had in the first part of the season “was very strong and difficult to follow”, but in the last month and a half it has not been able to ” such good results.” “I see Barça very well, I see them with a very high rhythm, they like to be in that rhythm of the game in which you can’t get there and they get to you. I see them very strong,” he added.
The coach from Extremadura confessed that the titles he has achieved with Athletic are “the ones that mean the most” in his career. “The Super Cup does not have the pedigree of the Cup or the League, but it is always a competition that has meant a lot to us when we have won it, and it has been done recently twice,” he said.
“In 40 years we have won three titles, two Super Cups and a Cup. Our intention is always to go as far as possible in the competitions we play, and we are going to try to win it. When the season starts we do not consider winning three competitions, I suppose that in The case of Barcelona and Real Madrid will happen,” he expressed, lowering expectations.
Although he insisted that they are a team that “always” plans their games “to be able to compete”, although “at certain times” they suffer. “We have to be very psyched up, we have just passed on penalties against a Second RFEF team in the Cup, so we have to have that point of self-confidence to think that we can play with anyone, but also that humility to know that we have to be very strong,” he noted.
Regarding the importance of winning to reaffirm a style, the coach stated that every time you pass a qualifying round or overcome a difficult test “it reinforces you a lot in what you do.” “Everything we have been doing this year reinforces the idea we have and that we can do these types of things, we are aware of the difficulty of it,” he added.
“One of the two teams is going to be left out. We are not favorites, but the other day we were and we went to penalties. We are going to try to have a good game, and we hope that Barça’s virtues will not be seen too much and that ours can be seen,” said Valverde about the role of favorite in the semifinal.
The ‘txingurri’ believes that the elimination of extra time in the event of a tie in the 90 minutes may affect “the last minutes.” “When this possibility was discussed for us, we stated that it was good to avoid the overload of matches to which all teams are subjected this month,” he stated.
The coach returns to the stadium where he trained Barça for the last time, although this matter does not affect him. “I don’t have any thoughts about it, I think it’s football stuff. It happened and now I’m in different circumstances, very happy with where I am and nothing more, I’m not thinking about anything special, really,” he commented.
Finally, the red and white coach spoke of the atmosphere he expects in the stands. “At the moment we haven’t seen too much but we do know that there will be a lot of people in the stadium. I played my last game with Barça here and there was a great atmosphere, I have the feeling that there are going to be many more Barcelona fans than ours, because here Barça and Madrid have a great impact,” he concluded.