Despite being in a privileged situation, recording the best numbers in the entire history of the club and playing the best football that has ever been seen in Girona, Míchel's speech remains as humble as ever. “Barça is a great team, along with Madrid and Atlético, one of the best in the League, and we are not at the same level as them, neither by squad nor by club structure... We cannot compare ourselves,” declares the coach from Madrid as soon as the pre-match press conference began, probably with the aim of taking all the pressure off of him.
“No matter how much we are at our best and living a dream, because no one thought we would be here, it will be very difficult to get anything positive out of Montjuïc. Barça only scored points at home against Madrid and they are a very solid team,” he adds. Míchel is clear that he will have to suffer. More than in any other game, now that they have become accustomed to being masters of the ball. “That's what worries me most of all. That we don't have as much possession as usual. I expect a match in which Barça will put pressure on us from above and on the man, therefore, they will not let us make the first and second passes," he details after having dominated practically all the matches so far, with the exception of the trip to Seville and against the visit of Las Palmas in the first days of the League and, more recently, in the field of Villarreal, another of the teams with the greatest offensive proposal.
“It will be difficult to implement our idea from start to finish, but I hope to achieve it at times. We have to be able to make the ball last longer on our feet than in other games against Barça”, with whom they were unable to overcome the barrier of 40% possession in the two games in which they faced each other last year. “We have to try to make the opponent run back, although I hope they come looking for us.” To achieve this, Míchel will not make inventions and will bet on his gala eleven, with the only loss being Yangel Herrera due to injury. “His absence disrupts our plans a bit, but there are players who can do this role like Iván Martín, David López, Ibra Kebé or John Solís.” And he could have had more resources if the Blaugrana club had not imposed any clause on Pablo Torre.
“We looked at it until the end, but we had to pay too much money (300,000 euros) for just one game. I also tell you that if it were a final or a more decisive match, maybe I would have played,” he says. Fortunately, he will be able to count on Eric Garcia, also on loan from Barça and who since his arrival at Montilivi has become a fixture: “Eric has had a very good week, he is calm and looking forward to the game. It is normal that .
A match for which Míchel gave rest to those who accumulated the most minutes, such as Dobvyk, Gazzaniga and Aleix Garcia, who, hours before, had declared his desire to be able to play for the culé team one day. The coach didn't like it and was very forceful. “Aleix was wrong. “We want the people of Girona to be only 100% of Girona, and we have started a project in which I believe that is possible.” He would also help if the people from Girona ever managed to beat Barça, something they have not yet achieved in the previous six in which the two have faced each other in the First Division. “The numbers also tell us that beating them would be a surprise. Obviously in my head there is the possibility of winning, but few rivals visit them thinking that they can or that they are favorites to win.”
Now, if they achieve it, Míchel predicts that it could be a very important turning point. “It would be entering another dimension. We would leave them at 7 points and that would have a lot of repercussions. But I also want that, if we lose the game, no one thinks that we will stop fighting for everything. I have the feeling that we can do well, but we need Barça to not have the day.”
