Prior to the weekend, the La Liga title race was a hotly contested affair between Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid. However, the Rojiblancos’ 2-1 loss to Levante yesterday, coupled with Real Madrid and Barcelona winning their respective games, has meant that only Los Blancos are in with a chance of preventing the Catalans from lifting the title on the final day.
Here’s what the Barcelona contingent had to say about the title race, after their 5-0 rout of city rivals RCD Espanyol:
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique:
The 46-year-old was in a bullish mood after Barcelona’s victory, claiming his side ‘deserved’ the title, saying “The winner is the best team over 38 games. As of today, there are two teams still in it. With the number of weeks we’ve been on top and our play, I think we deserve it.”
Enrique also praised La Liga’s quality, noting the closeness of the title race as the reason for it being the best league, saying “We’re talking about the best league in Europe. It’s a tough league. Maybe the last part didn’t go the way we wanted, but if we have to win the title in the last game, well then we’ll do it in the last game.”
The Barcelona manager has a clear objective ahead of the trip to Granada on the final day of the season, saying “Away games are always hard because there are things you can’t control. We’re one step away.I hope we’re precise and complete. We’re going to go to Granada to reach our objective. To try and win this league, which has been very competitive.”
Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic:
Speaking in the immediate aftermath of Barcelona’s 5-0 win over Espanyol, the Croatian noted that Barcelona were favourites since they controlled their own destiny, saying “We still control our own destiny. We’re hungry to win both the league and the Copa del Rey. If we play the way we did today, we have a great shot.”
Rakitic played down Barcelona’s difficulties recently that allowed the Liga race to come alive, saying “We did hit a rough patch but we’re still confident and our current streak is no accident.”
The Croatian also asserted that Barcelona will ‘come out with intensity because we’ll be playing for the title’ in the final game against Granada.
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique:
Predictably Pique was quizzed about Real Madrid’s situation and replied, “Madrid are on a great streak in La Liga and if they’re still fighting for the title it’s because they deserve it.”
When asked if he thought Barcelona’s rivals would be distracted by their Champions League final, he dismissed the thought, saying “They’re two different competitions. Madrid will be worried about Deportivo, not the Champions League final. We only care about winning the league and the Copa del Rey, not who wins the Champions League.”
Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets:
The defensive screener voiced a note of caution against Granada, who avoided relegation over the weekend, but the Spaniard is still circumspect, saying “We’re going to treat Granada as if they are still fighting to avoid relegation. Even though Granada have avoided relegation they’re going to play hard in front of their fans. They’ll want to win.”
“We have two games left this season. We’ve got plenty of reasons to be motivated to win the title.”
Here’s what the Real Madrid contingent had to say after their 3-2 win over a competitive Valencia side, a result that puts them 1 point behind Barcelona:
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane:
Real Madrid need Granada to earn at least a point against Barcelona to give Real Madrid a chance to win the title. The Frenchman is keen on keeping spirits up, noting the unpredictability of football which could come to aid them in their quest for the Liga title, saying “I'm always positive. Now we are second and we have one game left to play, anything can happen.”
“In football, you never know what is going to happen. We have to give everything and keep going until the end and we will see what happens. We have a match which will not be easy. I never saw an end to the season as tight as this when I was a player. We will see what happens right up until the end, until the very last minute.”
“We have achieved the aim that we had, which was the get into second place. We have one game left to try and get to first”.
With Real Madrid playing the Champions League final after their final Liga game against Deportivo, Zidane asserted there might be rotation, saying “There will definitely be rotation, but only with the focus on that game. We have fifteen days afterwards to prepare for the final. There is time to think about Milan.”
“We are all going to La Coruña because anything can happen until the end and until the final minute.”
Real Madrid goalkeeper Kiko Casilla:
Los Blancos’ second choice keeper came in to cover for the injured Keylor Navas, performing extremely well to earn Real Madrid a victory. The custodian is looking forward to a pivotal match against Deportivo, saying “Our aim is to always win and we also have to do that in the final game.”
“Now we are going to La Coruña with the best possible strength to win our game and then wait. there is one game left and we will fight until the end.”
Real Madrid defender Marcelo:
Real Madrid have clawed back a huge gap to Barcelona to come within a point of their rivals, and Marcelo is keen on harnessing that same spirit in the final game against Deportivo, saying “We’ve always believed it was possible. Our objective is always to win and we have to win the final game as well. We’ve got a chance, we have to take it game by game.”
“We knew it would be tough to get those points back, and so we needed to win. With humility and patience, we’ve been able to close the gap.”
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale:
The Welshman was watching from the stands, but clearly enjoyed the game, tweeting:
