‘Clasico’ defeat will not derail Barcelona’s season, says Luis Enrique
Barcelona coach says his team will not allow Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by bitter rivals Real Madrid to affect their confidence
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said his team would not allow Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by bitter rivals Real Madrid to affect their confidence.
La Liga leaders Barca were the better side for most of the ‘Clasico’ but a late goal by Cristiano Ronaldo helped third-placed Real close the gap on the Catalans to seven points with seven games to go.
Atletico Madrid are in second spot, six points off the pace.
Luis Enrique does not believe the defeat will damage Barca’s title challenge or their bid to retain the Champions League and King’s Cup.
“This game doesn’t exist any more, there’s no pain,” he told a news conference at the Nou Camp.
Luis Enrique said his side struggled to cope with the shock of losing their lead so soon after Gerard Pique had put them in front in the 56th minute, Karim Benzema levelling for Real six minutes later.
“You can’t choose when you’re going to lose. We have to recover, rest and remember that we are the league leaders and that the most consistent team win the title.”
Real coach Zinedine Zidane was cautious when asked if the win could spark a late title bid.
Zidane did not hide his joy at winning his first ‘Clasico’ as a coach.
“I’m very happy with everything about the game especially the result,” said the former Real playmaker.
“We struggled at first but that’s normal because it’s a difficult ground to play at. I’m very proud of my players and how they played.
“Winning here is a huge prize for all our players because they put in an enormous performance,” said the former France great. “It’s not easy to win here, few teams win here.”