Barca's Luis Enrique: No attitude problem with out-of-favor Pique
Luis Enrique insists there is nothing to read into Gerard Pique's recent omission from Barcelona's starting XI.
Centerback Pique was not in the squad for the 1-0 defeat to Celta Vigo in La Liga last weekend and only made the bench for the 2-0 victory over Ajax in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Reports in the Spanish press suggest that Pique is being punished after he was supposedly caught on his cellphone during a recent Copa Catalunya match with Espanyol.
Barca coach Luis Enrique has denied those suggestions, though, and stated that Pique is doing everything he can to earn a recall.
"He's [Pique] doing everything a footballer can do," he said ahead of Barca's clash at Almeria on Saturday. "I'll leave it to the press to blow things out of proportion. None of my players have showed a bad attitude since I've been here, in training or in games. I'm happy about that."
Barca travels to Almeria just three days after its Champions League match against Ajax in Amsterdam. Luis Enrique says the timing of the game is not ideal but will not use fixture congestion as an excuse for standards to drop.
"It is [not ideal] to play so soon, but it is what it is and we can do nothing about it," he added. "There are no excuses."
Spirits were lifted in midweek with a 2-0 Champions League victory at Ajax - in which Lionel Messi struck twice to equal the competition's goalscoring record - and now they hope to kick on. Midfielder Ivan Rakitic told his club's official website: "It is always important to carry on like this. We've just had a difficult week.
"Thankfully, there's a new game every two or three days and we'll need to keep working for the next few games."
Barca have not lost three league games in succession since 2003 and it would be a shock if they were to slip up again. Despite the recent losses, their position in the table heading into the latest round of fixtures remains strong, just two points behind leaders Real. Almeria, 14th, have yet to win at home at this term but Barca's recent form could give them hope of an upset.
Defender Angel Trujillo said on the competition's official website: "We will try to compete at the top and make a game for as long as possible. We have to approach the game with the utmost confidence and intensity. For a team like ours, this fixture must serve as motivation. Against Barca we cannot think we will take the initiative but we will emphasize not making mistakes."
Barca's preparations were disrupted slightly as they were unable to fly back from Amsterdam on Wednesday night due to an aircraft fault. They spent an extra night in Holland before returning to hold a recovery session later on Thursday.
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