Schreuder’s debut at Barcelona: ‘Look at January, unbelievable’

Monday, May 3, 2021 at 12:14 AM• Daniel Cabot Kerkdijk • Last update: 00:36

Barcelona recovered from the defeat against Granada on Sunday evening. Three days after the 1-2 loss in the Camp Nou, the Catalans were 2-3 too strong in and against Valencia. Ronald Koeman was absent due to a suspension on the bank and his duties in Mestalla were taken over by right-hand man Alfred Schreuder, who also spoke to the Spanish press afterwards. “The match against Granada is separate from this game”, the Dutchman replied when he was asked whether he was satisfied with the reaction of the players.

“We played well in the first half and in the second half we came back well after the deficit. I think we deserved the win. The players have worked hard and have shown that they can turn a backlog based on character. That’s really important.” The differences in the top of LaLiga are minimal, Schreuder acknowledges. “Everyone has a chance, but the most important thing is that we also have a chance. We don’t look at other teams, only at ourselves. ”

Barcelona will play against Atlético Madrid on Saturday, which has two points more and thus defends the lead in the Camp Nou. Real Madrid and Seville play in the capital on Sunday evening. The reigning champion, who has as many points as Barcelona, ​​will benefit from a defeat of Atlético in Catalonia, as the mutual result is in favor of Zinedine Zidane’s team. Four victories in the last four match days and a loss of los Colchoneros means the prolongation of the national title.

“The match against Atlético is not a final, but it is important,” emphasized Schreuder. “We still have four games that we have to win each one. We have missed points in certain matches, but that also applies to Atlético, Real Madrid and Sevilla. ” Schreuder is hopeful about winning the double. “Barcelona’s confidence in the players is limitless. The players showed it again today. Look at the month of January, unbelievable. The backlog on Atlético was big, we had far fewer points. And now we are very close to Atlético. If we win next week, we will even be in front of Atlético ”, he pointed out the minimal differences, 74 to 76 points.

Barcelona could have been much better if the defeat against Granada had been avoided. “That hurts, but you cannot change past events. It is a thing of the past, we can only look ahead. ” Schreuder acknowledged that Barcelona has been struggling to avoid goals against in recent weeks. In the last five duels in LaLiga, Marc-André ter Stegen was passed no less than seven times, including twice against Valencia. “Ter Stegen was hindered with the first goal from Valencia and there is not much you can do against the second goal”, said Schreuder. “But it is true that we did not defend well against Granada two or three times. It is important to play possession and control the game, but you also have to defend well at the same time. ”

No. Team M. W. G. V. +/- Pnt
1 Atlético Madrid 34 23 7 4 39 76
2 Real Madrid 34 22 8 4 34 74
3 Barcelona 34 23 5 6 47 74
4 Seville 33 22 4 7 23 70
5 Real Sociedad 34 14 11 9 16 53
6 Villarreal 34 13 13 8 13 52
7 Real Betis 34 14 9 11 -3 51
8 Granada 34 13 6 15 -12 45
9 Celta de Vigo 34 11 11 12 -5 44
10 Athletic Club 33 10 12 11 7 42
11 Osasuna 34 10 10 14 -10 40
12 Cadiz 34 10 10 14 -20 40
13 Levante 34 9 11 14 -10 38
14 Valencia 34 8 12 14 -8 36
15 Getafe 34 8 10 16 -14 34
16 Alavés 34 7 10 17 -24 31
17 Real Valladolid 34 5 16 13 -14 31
18 Huesca 34 6 12 16 -18 30
19 Elche 34 6 12 16 -21 30
20 Eibar 34 5 11 18 -20 26