"Arsenal can cause you problems"
"If you don't take your chances then it gets difficult, we had enough chances to win it comfortably", said Luis Enrique in his post-match press conference on Gran Canaria.
Barça boss Luis Enrique expressed his contentment with the three points on the Canary Islands but admitted "there are things we can improve on". The blaugrana boss cut an anxious figure in the second half as an impressive Las Palmas pushed for an equalizer with the game poised precariously at 1-2 to the visiting champions. Enrique couldn't believe what he was seeing when Suarez and Neymar missed a host of chances to put the points beyond doubt.
With three precious points in the bank, the coach calmed and took his seat to talk to the press:
Reaction
“I don't think there was any drop in rhythm in this match. There were times when we attacked and they countered, but the last 10 minutes was more them pressing than us making mistakes. With a game every three days all we can ask is that we keep competing", admitted the blaugrana boss, continuing:
“The back and forth nature of the game in the last 10 minutes came because they were looking for the equaliser, we had chances to finish the game off as well.
Taking their chances
“We can be more or less sharp in front of goal but I’m happy with what I have seen- Obviously we can improve things, we have extended our lead [in La Liga] and we'll just have to see what the others do.”
The Las Palmas goalkeeper.
“Javi Varas was excellent, we were better in the second half, we were more compact but if you don’t take your chances and close the match out then you give the other team a chance to equalise.”
Changes
Turan was substituted at half-time “because simply he had a yellow card and he has a way of going to ground to win the ball and I didn’t want him to get a second. Vermaelen gave us security in the air and our changes worked out well”.
Arsenal
"Now we're talking about games of 180 minutes. It'll be difficult, they can cause you problems".
Rotation
"I don't have to explain my decisions"
Sporting
“I don’t want Sporting to go down,” Enrique admitted about his home-town club that Barça had beaten on Wednesday in El Molinón. When asked if this result against Las Palmas would help Abelardo’s team, the Asturian coach praised Quique Setién’s team: “They try to play good football despite being in the relegation zone”.