Speaking on Monday, the Argentinian says he knows only too well that anything can start happening in the final third of the season
Barça have a three point lead in La Liga, which they could extend to six if they win their game in hand against Sporting. But Javier Mascherano insists that it’s still very early days in the competition.
“There’s a long way to go” he said on Monday at an event to recognise the €45,730 raised for Rett Syndrome by the book Relats Solidaris de l’Esport. “The last two seasons have shown that the final third is the hardest. This will be a difficult league right until the end and any dropped points will be costly.”
On equalling the record of 28 unbeaten games that he previously helped to set under Pep Guardiola, the Argentinian commented that “the main similarity between the team under Luis Enrique and under Guardiola is that they compete the same way. They have the same desire to win and that’s important when you have a team of players that have won so much.”
Here are some other quotes from Javier Mascherano:
The game with Levante
“Sometimes certain conditions prevent you from playing your best game and we had a lot of trouble on Sunday even though Levante in last place.”
“From now, the teams near the bottom of the table have a lot to play for. We couldn’t get our game flowing or get the ball moving fast. But we worked hard and deserved to win.”
“We have come on a lot, because we used to struggle to win games like those. We know how to suffer in order to get results.”
The Barça style
“We work as a unit, not as separate parts. Last season, it was by working as a unit that we got such great results. This year we have a better idea of what to do and it’s working. Everyone has to help in defence and in attack because of the way we play.”
“There are no big secrets to Barça’s football. Everyone knows how we play and we don’t know any other way.”
“This team doesn’t need complex tactics to win games because we have such decisive players over the final third. Perhaps Pep’s team needed to dominate the possession more in order to get the better of opponents.”
“Luis Enrique is one of the best managers I’ve ever had and he’s done some great things in a year and a half at the club. He’s created an unpredictable team, with a lot of options and which can play a lot of different ways. There’s a thin line between winning and losing, but since he arrived, there has been a vast improvement in quality and fighting spirit.”