Luis Enrique has vowed Barcelona will commit everything to winning both LaLiga and the Copa del Rey as he approaches his final four games in charge of the Catalan giants.
The Barca head coach will leave his post at the end of the season, but still has three LaLiga fixtures – and the Copa del Rey final against Alaves – to go before his tenure at Camp Nou comes to an end.
Luis Suarez scored twice and Ivan Rakitic once to secure a comfortable 3-0 win for Barca against local rivals Espanyol on Saturday, moving Luis Enrique’s side to the top of LaLiga – although second-placed Real Madrid have played a game less.
And the former Barca midfielder, who was enthused by his side’s display at Estadi Cornella-El Prat, insisted the victory sets Barca up perfectly as they head into the final stages of the campaign.
“We have two very clear and precise goals – the league and the cup – and we are going to go at it with everything,” he said.
“I am delighted with the team. In the first half, it may not have been as effective or spectacular, but we managed to wear out Espanyol.
“It was a derby with intensity on the part of the two teams, but we were very compact.
“Without that performance, there would not have been our second half. We knew if we set a high pace during the 90Â minutes, we would have more chances.
“This high pace then served to make the most of their mistakes.”
1000 – Luis Suárez has scored the 1000th goal in La Liga 16/17, the first of the Top 5 European to reach that number. Show. pic.twitter.com/qy1IF6tuje
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 29, 2017
A major boost for Barca was the return to goalscoring form of Suarez, who netted early in the second half before wrapping up the win late on.
The Uruguayan had not scored in his previous three LaLiga appearances, but Luis Enrique insists he never doubted the former Liverpool striker.
“I was not worried about Suarez because he brings us many more things than just goals,” he continued.
“But it is clear that for a striker a goal is important. And what is also clear is that Suarez will never fail to score goals.”
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