Osasuna coach highlights how his team can hurt Barcelona – ‘We need to keep an eye on…’ | OneFootball

FC Barcelona return to action at the Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday as they take on CA Osasuna in La Liga, with the aim of extending their lead at the top of the table.

The visitors are currently 15th in the league standings, but go into tomorrow’s clash on the back of a 2-0 victory over Levante.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Osasuna manager Alessio Lisci admitted that he and his team are aware of Barcelona’s quality and danger, but are hopeful of springing a surprise.

“We can win three points or we can lose. It’s a game we have to go into and play. I don’t buy the argument that the important game is next week’s against Alaves. Of course, it’s an important game, but there’s another game before that,” he said.

“What we have to do is try and stay focused. It’s clear that all the teams have lost there, but streaks, sooner or later, come to an end. We have to try and be convinced that we can do it.”

Talking about Barcelona’s high-line and offside trap tactics, Lisci explained how other teams have tried to take advantage of that, saying:

“Barça clearly has a different way of defending. You have to know how to play with that offside trap they use. It’s clear we’ve barely had time to work on it because we have to attack them in a completely different way than we usually do in La Liga, both us and anyone else,” he said.

Alessio Lisci, Osasuna manager. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

“They force you to take the risk of playing offside, and you have to decide whether or not to go for it. They also do a million other things well. But the biggest difference between Barça and other teams is their defensive style.”

Continuing, he added that there are a few players in his team who can exploit this system with their speed.

“The thing is, as a squad, we’re not exactly known for our speed. But we do have some players who can hurt them. We need to keep an eye on those players to keep them fresh for the full 90 minutes,” he noted.

Furthermore, Lisci also acknowledged that it will not be easy to stop Barcelona’s attack, given the quality they possess going forward.

“The thing is, they have a lot of stars, and marking them all isn’t so easy. We have to prioritize, know how to guide them where we want them to be, know how to provide the support we need, play with passing lanes to cut them off…

“We have to do a lot of things right to control them, and even then, I don’t know how many Barça games I’ve watched, both for fun and to analyse them, and they always have three, four, five clear chances against everyone.

“Even if they end up losing because they miss one. They have to miss, we have to be successful… A lot of things have to go right. That’s what makes football great, and we’re going to try,” he concluded.

Source: AS