The Athletic Club coach, Marcelino Garcia Toral, confessed that although FC Barcelona “has sufficient solutions” to replace Leo Messi “I would be lying if I said” that “I preferred to have in front of” the Argentine star in the match that will face both teams tomorrow in San Mamés.
“We are talking about the best player in the world and we know that not only against Athletic it was decisive. Not having it, I don’t know whether to qualify it as a relief, but there is no doubt that Barça’s offensive arguments on an individual level decrease“, said the technician in the press conference prior to the meeting.
Marcelino, however, believes that although “Before they depended in a very important way on Messi in attack” with the departure of Rosario Ronald Koeman “He has divided that importance among all the forwards” and “Maybe now they are more vertical and faster, although they may be less precise”. The Asturian coach is aware that Athletic “You have to do a lot of things well” to beat the Barça team, above all “defend well in all areas of the field, attack with solvency and be effective”. “We have to reach a very high level and that the Barça does not have his day “, assumed.
He also does not believe that a possible victory against the Barça team is “a plus” because in last season Athletic was able to beat Real Madrid, Barcelona -in the Super Cup- and Atlético de Madrid, but nevertheless it lacked “continuity.” “The teams are made by being constant in the good results. Neither by losing a game we are bad nor by winning Barça do we have options to play the Champions League. We have to be sensible. When a quarter or a third of the competition passes, we will be able to get an idea closer to what we have, “he reflected.
On the other hand, Marcelino considers that the return of the public to the stands of San Mamés is “a new stimulus” for Athletic and added that he hopes “enjoy, vibrate and enjoy the support” of the almost 11,000 fans who will be able to go to ‘La Catedral’ to “be strong as this club always was” together with his followers.