'They are not machines' - Barcelona manager Luis Enrique defends Messi, Suarez and Neymar
Luis Enrique has hit out at the criticism of Barcelona attacking trio Leo Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr, after the trident were dinged by the Spanish press for their performance in El Clasico. Barcelona lost the game at the Camp Nou, with Real Madrid triumphing by a 2-1 scoreline, but MSN failed to make an impact on the game.
Luis Enrique, however, was having none of the criticism in his pre-match press conference ahead of Barcelona’s pivotal clash against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions LEague quarterfinals, saying “Messi, Suarez and Neymar are the best in the world, but they are not machines.”
Barcelona’s MSN trio have been in stunning form this season, plundering goals at an unprecendented rate, although they were strangely subdued in El Clasico. Enrique continued his defenceby noting that MSN put Barcelona in the position they are now, saying “Our attackers are of the highest level, but that does not mean Barcelona are unbeatable.”
“What we have achieved is not solely down to them and neither are they to blame when things don't go our way. Our attacking trident is in good shape.”
Enrique will use El Clasico loss as motivation
Barcelona saw their 39 game unbeaten streak end with the loss to Real Madrid, although Enrique has a poisitve outlook on El Clasico loss, saying “We almost didn't remember anymore how it felt to lose. I hope it can be an extra motivation to win again. I hope all my players can step it up a notch in the final stretch of the season because we will need it.”
"We put in a good performance against Madrid for 60 minutes. We lacked precision after the 1-1. But we should take into account Madrid are a serious rival. I have blind faith in my players. It would be wrong to only focus on the result.”
"Atletico are a team of the highest level. That's why they are here in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They are able to compete with Barcelona and Madrid for a reason despite not having the same financial resources.
"Our goal is to beat Atleti and ideally without conceding. Atletico are a team that have several options. They can sit back, but can also press high up the pitch. Plus they are at a consistently high level for 90 minutes. They are a very complete team.”