Ex-Benfica star on Luis Enrique’s influence: I had to adapt or else… | OneFootball

Nolito, former winger of Benfica, who also played for clubs like Manchester City and Sevilla, recalled his time with Barcelona's B team, where he first experienced the toughness of professional football under the management of Luis Enrique.

"Many times the first team would call us to train. I don't know if it was on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday... If I remember correctly, it was on Thursdays, because with Luis Enrique, if you didn't train on Friday with the team, you might not play", explained the former Benfica player in an interview with the program 'El After de Post United'.

Despite the difficulties, the former Spanish international has fond memories of that time with the Catalan secondary team. "The B team that year had a great squad. I don't know if we finished third in the Second Division. In other words, we could have easily been promoted to the First Division. I enjoyed that year a lot. I believe it was one of the years in my career that I enjoyed the most", he confessed.

Nolito, who started his career at Écija Balompié before moving to Catalonia, also gave high praise to the Spanish coach, describing a lesser-known side of the manager. "He is a magnificent person behind closed doors, playful, enjoys a good time, and above all, he is a good person. Besides being a good coach, as everyone knows. I believe many people would be surprised by what a good man he is", stated the former Benfica player - who saw Carreras comment on the current affairs of the Club.

Regarding the training methods, the former footballer highlighted the intensity and quality required. "The training sessions were tough. Above all, a lot of possession drills with one or two touches, short games on a reduced field. But, in the end, you had to adapt, otherwise, you were out. There was a lot of quality there", he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.