“We tried to win the match our way, we were recognisable,” explains the manager
“Messi has bar so high that it seems when he doesn’t score it’s a problem,” says Martino
After this evening’s victory over Espanyol, Gerardo Martino talked to the press about his impression of the match. The manager noted that the team are performing well when it comes to results, but that his men must push themselves to improve when it comes to their play: “We are nearly perfect when it comes to result. We are capable of playing better, we can always play better.”
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On the match, which was won thanks to a strike from Alexis on 68 minutes, Martino said that “it was a good game, well won. Espanyol played a priceless defensive game. We were recognisable and we didn’t lack intensity when we attacked, what we did lack was consistency.”
No problem with Messi
The fact that Leo Messi didn’t score this Friday meant that his manager had to field questions on the forward’s current form. “Messi isn’t troubled by this. It’s a coincidence that Messi hasn’t scored in three or four games, he’s not desperate. He’s set the bar so high that it seems when he doesn’t score it’s a problem,” said the Argentinian manager, who rubbished the idea that the forward is saving himself for the 2014 World Cup.
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Well deserved win
“What we have to do is guarantee ourselves a win. As time goes on we’ll find out what we’re lacking. We’ve deserved to win every match we’ve won, our play hasn’t been excellent but we’ve always been superior to our rivals,” explained Martino, who added the he’s not surprised with how well Alexis has been playing: “He’s capable of making the last pass, to finish plays and score goals.”