Setién: "It doesn't enter my head that this could be my last game"
Barcelona coach Quique Setién dismissed talk about his future on the eve of a decisive Champions League encounter with Napoli.
Quique Setién declared that the mere thought that Saturday's Champions League Last 16 decider with Napoli could be his last as Barcelona coach has not crossed his mind. Setién only replaced Ernesto Valverde in January but has had to contend with questions about his future just months into the job.
The 61-year-old, who signed a two-and-a-half-year deal, insisted before Real Madrid were crowned LaLiga champions last month he "does not spend a minute" thinking about whether he could lose his job. Barcelona and Napoli will do battle for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League at Camp Nou in a tie locked at 1-1 after the first leg in February.
Setién, positive ahead of Napoli clash
Setién says he has not even pondered whether he could be sacked if the Catalan giants crash out. "It has not crossed my mind at any time that tomorrow is my last game. We have prepared for the game thinking that we are going to continue," he told the media on Friday.
Ousmane Dembélé (hamstring) is not ready to return to face the Serie A side, but Antoine Griezmann (thigh) was named in the squad. Setién feels Barca have benefited from a break following the conclusion of the domestic season.
He added: "When we finished the league, it was with a positive mindset. Both the players and myself needed a break because after so many consecutive matches it really took its toll on us. But I think now we have had sufficient time to prepare for this match; to recuperate physically, take a few days off and come back with a renewed energy that has allowed us to have some very good training sessions and prepare in the best way possible."
Barcelona ready to switch game plan if necessary
Setién says the Catalans are prepared to adapt if their game plan is not working in the decisive encounter. He said: "We have thought about everything and assessed for a long time which was the best option to play this game. We have taken a variant that does not mean that we cannot change it at some point in the game. They are a team that can hurt us with the ball, combines well, has greatly improved in possession, is very disciplined defending. It will be a game with alternatives."