After a tight victory by the minimum at the Olímpico in Rome, this Wednesday Barça will play the pass to the semifinals of the Champions League at the Camp Nou (6:45 p.m., Dazn). After achieving an ‘in extremis’ victory against Real Madrid last Saturday, Jonatan Giráldez described the duel against Roma as “the most important game of the season. We have to do everything well. At the offensive level, continue creating scoring chances, because we know that this brings us closer to having more options to win, and not disconnect defensively”.
The Barca coach has also recognized that they have to have the consistency that they lacked in the last 10-15 minutes of the match against Roma, where they lost control of the game a bit. “The first 75-80 minutes of the game were very good at the level of attack and defense, and where we have to refine a little more is in the last meters” he acknowledged. “If we manage to be more effective in front of goal, we will have more chances of winning and qualifying,” he added.
“Looking at the precedents in recent games, on Roma day I think we were, at times, infinitely better than our rivals, although in the last few minutes we ended up suffering, and against Real Madrid we generated three times as many chances as they did. So the focus It focuses on the little that the team has generated, on the few goals that have been scored, but because the number of times the goalkeeper has collected the ball from the back of the goal is valued solely and exclusively and the game is not valued” , lamented the man from Vigo.
“My job as a coach is to reduce the euphoria when we score a lot of goals and analyze what things can be improved, and on the days that we don’t score so many goals, continue doing the same thing, analyze what we have done well and analyze what we have done wrong, but never from the result but from the management of the match”, he added.
In the run-up to the match against Roma, Sandra Paños also appeared, who spoke about her good form. “I feel like I’m in a good moment. It’s true that in my case, perhaps throughout the season I practically don’t have as much demand, but continuous work is important to be able to reach these moments and be well,” she declared. “I have tried to give my best version at all times. The other day I was able to help the team when they needed me and hopefully in the games to come I will continue trying to do the same, always from the concentration”, she added.
The Barca goalkeeper has also spoken about the return of Alexia Putellas to training with the group, and has declared that both the players and the staff and the whole club are “super happy”. “He is a very important figure for us both on and off the field. We are very happy because everything is going very well, but I think we have to be patient and wait for everything to run its course,” she explained.
Regarding the fact of playing again at the Camp Nou, Sandra Paños said that “it is exciting to be able to get closer to many more people than can fit in the Johan”. The goalkeeper has also recognized that she is especially excited that Vicky Losada can play at the Camp Nou.
After the press conference, the players trained on the field where tomorrow they will seek a pass to the semifinals that would bring them even closer to their fourth Champions League final.
