Joan Garcia talks Barcelona form, Espanyol, Spain NT hopes ahead of Super Cup semi-final | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as they get set to defend their Spanish Super Cup crown, starting with tomorrow’s semi-final against Athletic Club.

The Blaugrana come into the game in impressive form, having won all of their fixtures since the defeat to Chelsea in late November.

Most recently, Barcelona defeated bitter local rivals RCD Espanyol in the Catalan derby, with Joan Garcia, who left the Pericos for the Blaugrana only last summer, starring on his return to Cornella-El Prat.

The 24-year-old shot-stopper accompanied manager Hansi Flick for the pre-match press conference today ahead of the Spanish Super Cup and gave his thoughts on various topics, including his derby performance.

On Super Cup and Athletic Club

Starting off, Joan Garcia outlined the team’s objectives heading into the Super Cup tomorrow, saying:

“We’re very motivated. The team and I personally. It’s the first title we can win this season and the first one I can win at this club. We’re going there with the goal of achieving it.”

“We’re confident. There are some things to improve and we’re working on it, but we’re confident we can win and keep a clean sheet. We’re looking forward to the Super Cup, but we know we need to improve,” he later added.

Talking about Barcelona’s opponents for tomorrow, Garcia gave due credit to Athletic Club, saying:

“We expect an intense Athletic side; they know what they’re doing. They have intensity and a good game rhythm. We have to be prepared for that. They have some key players, but we’re preparing well for the match. I’m sure it will go well.”

Garcia is one of seven Barcelona players set to experience the Spanish Super Cup for the first time. Discussing his time so far in Saudi Arabia, he noted:

“It’s my first time here. The welcome has been very good. Personally, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s my first opportunity to win a title.”

On Espanyol win, form

Ready for his first Super Cup experience. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The chat then quickly moved to the Espanyol game, where he was under the spotlight, and was greeted with a hostile reception from fans of his former club.

“I worked like any other week. I knew the atmosphere would be special because of my past. I managed to focus on the match. Now I’m already thinking about the Super Cup, and I’m really looking forward to winning the title,” said Garcia.

While he acknowledged his performance against Espanyol was impressive, the 24-year-old stayed humble and insisted that there was still room for improvement.

“I’m a young goalkeeper and I have to improve. I try to do my best. Saturday’s match was special and I had a good performance, but I know I can improve more,” he stated.

Given his performances, the fact that he has not yet been called up by the Spanish national team has left everyone flummoxed.

Intriguingly, he will come up against Unai Simon of Athletic Club, who is the current No. 1 for La Roja. But the Barcelona goalkeeper insisted that he was focused on his performances, saying:

“I wouldn’t set it as a goal. My goal is to keep improving in every match with Barça. Every player wants to play for the national team. If it happens, I’ll be very proud.”

Garcia has made some spectacular stops so far for Barcelona, with quite a few of them coming in the derby. Discussing his stops, the Spaniard elaborated:

“They’re very quick plays. They require you to act fast. It’s a matter of intuition. There’s no time to think. I prevented a goal in these three, so I’m happy.”

Garcia also touched upon the competition for the goalkeeping spots at Barcelona with Wojciech Szczesny and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, saying:

“The atmosphere is great. We’re three good goalkeepers. I try to learn from them, to see where I can improve. The competition in training makes us all better. I’m very happy with the atmosphere and the competition we have.”

On mental health

At a time when his teammate and captain Ronald Araujo took a break from football due to mental health issues, Garcia underlined the importance of mental stability, saying:

“Nowadays it’s a very important part. I work on it by visualising what I might encounter in the match. That way you’re not surprised by what you might find.”

On whether he had ever felt the need of consulting a psychologist, he added: “Every person is different. Every player needs certain things. I haven’t felt I needed that support.

“With the help of my family, it’s been enough. There have been times in my career when I have used it. In this process, I haven’t needed it.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo