Liga BBVA: Barcelona 2-0 Valencia / Real Madrid 3-1 Malaga
This is what the coaches had to say:
Coach Luis Enrique (Barcelona)
“We had a wonderful start, but we made mistakes when they brought the pressure. In the second half we had more control over the game. The win puts us where we want. For us it’s a great result. It’s a day to congratulate all the players who gave it their all, despite playing with little gas in the tank.
“The victory is well-deserved because effectiveness is the key to football.I am pleased with the attitudes of my players every game. The attitude is superb. And this is a key requirement for us.”
“These players are winners. From the first day I saw that they want to win titles and work hard to do it. Some players didn’t play today due to a high risk of getting injured. Now we have a few days to rest until Tuesday. Today we were, once again, very supportive of each other. The attackers gave us what we always ask them for. They need help in attack and the defence needs help to defend. The key is to be supportive”.
Coach Ancelotti (Real Madrid)
“It was a positive game, it wasn’t negative even if we had two problems with Bale and Modric. The game was positive because the side won despite lots of difficulties, injuries, a missed penalty…We fought, everyone really gave everything they could and worked well”.
James, Isco and Kroos
“They played well. James was the best, he gave a lot of quality to the side. Isco did not have such a great first half but then he played very well in the second half. What I most liked is that the players fought and gave everything they had, that is what we needed this match”.
Benzema’s condition
“I think that he is going to play. His injury problem is improving. We have four days left and the chance to have him back fit.”
Bale and Modric
“Modric had a problem with his knee, and Bale had an issue with his calf muscle. We are going to evaluate both players over the coming days. They are not completely ruled out for Wednesday. We have to do tests and then we will make a decision”.
Will La Liga be decided on the final day?
“I hope so, that would mean that La Liga is alive. Our aim is to keep it alive for as long as possible. Both sides have difficult games. At the moment both sides are playing for a lot, and that means that every game is difficult. Barcelona have an advantage. We have to try and win all our games to force them to also win”.
