Barcelona manager Luis Enrique says that he cannot criticise the performance put in by his players in the recent 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid. This was a must win match for his team given that they needed to recover from the 1-0 defeat against Real Sociedad in the previous league match.
The victory was an essential in order to keep in touch with Real Madrid. Barcelona failed to take advantage of Madrid losing their last league match, but there were no repeats this time around. Despite playing against a very confident Atletico Madrid team who are defending the title, Barcelona dominated the match from start to finish.
The mouth-watering combination of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar were once again paired up front.
They have failed to click at the highest level several times this season, but this was probably the first match in which each player looked excellent in his respective position. All three scored to give Barcelona an impressive victory. Luis Enrique will know that he has to get the best out of his attack if he is to overcoming the defensive frailties with the team. Barcelona are still missing a number of key players like Thomas Vermaelen, who is yet to make his debut since signing from Arsenal in the summer.
“All victories strengthen a team, but it’s just three more points and the season is very long. When we win everyone is happy, but the team is the same whether we win or not. The fans were incredible. I love that people are so intothe team, they make us stronger. I’ve never seen fans questioning the team. The shield, the dressing room, Camp Nou and the fans are the leaders of this team. When you play Atlético you know that you’re playing a strong team. I like them, but today we were better,” said the Barcelona manager.