In the thick of Barcelona’s quest for another treble, boss Luis Enrique has demonstrated how relaxed he is feeling over his team’s current form by claiming he’s more concerned about deciding what to eat.
Enrique has led his team on a record-breaking run of form, with Barca going 36 games unbeaten over the course of five months to establish an eight-point lead at the top of La Liga as well as making serene progress in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
Indeed, the Catalan giants have remarkably won 17 of their last 18 games, with the only draw coming when a much-changed side drew at Valencia in the second leg of the Spanish Cup semi-final after winning the first leg 7-0.
And ahead of today’s home clash with lowly Getafe Enrique showed his confidence in his team’s abilities by joking: “The only thing I’m worried about is whether to have meat or fish for dinner.”
However, Enrique then reverted to his more serious side as he emphasised that the team’s recent brilliant form will count for nothing unless it is converted into silverware in the coming months.
“Everything that lies ahead of us looks great,” he said. “We are where we want to be, but now we have to confirm it in the form of trophies.”
For their meeting with Getafe, Enrique will be missing Argentine enforcer Javier Mascherano due to suspension, but otherwise his squad is looking fit and healthy after enjoying their first midweek without a fixture in more than three months.
And despite the magnificence of their recent form, the Barca boss believes the best is yet to come from his team, noting: “Every year we finish the season better than we started. That’s not only because of our physical preparation thanks to [fitness coach] Rafel Pol, who is ahead of his time, but for all the other elements.
“The coming weeks will be stimulating and I have the feeling we’ll do just as well as last season.”
In terms of form, Nou Camp visitors Getafe are the mirror-image of Barca after enduring a terrible run which has seen them plummet from mid-table safety to the edge of the relegation zone.
They’ve gained just one draw from their last eight games – that came last weekend against Sevilla.