Barcelona: Gerard Pique says Luis Enrique's side will win La Liga

Last updated on .From the section European Footballcomments71

Gerard Pique
Barca next play on Wednesday, away to Deportivo La Coruna

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique says his side will still win the Spanish league title despite slipping to a fourth defeat in five games on Sunday.

In early April Barca led the league by nine points and were on course for a second consecutive La Liga, Champions League and Spanish Cup treble.

But a 2-1 loss at home to Valencia saw Atletico Madrid go joint top, four days after they knocked Barca out of Europe.

"We can't be worried when you look at the way we're playing," Pique said.

Barca created plenty of chances during Sunday's defeat by mid-table Valencia, with away keeper Diego Alves making a string of superb saves as the Catalan side suffered three successive La Liga defeats for the first time since 2003.

"If we play like this we'll win the league, I'm convinced of that," added Spain centre-back Pique.

"Although it's a step backwards, playing this well will help the team mentally. We've recovered the sensations from a month ago."

Real Madrid were the first team to beat Barca in 39 matches when they won 2-1 at the Nou Camp on 2 April and are now just one point behind in third.

Luis Enrique's side followed up that defeat by their fierce rivals with a 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad and have five league games to play before their Copa del Rey final against Sevilla on 22 May.

"Feeling sorry for ourselves we won't win anything," Enrique said.

La Liga table
If teams are level on points the side with the better head-to-head record places higher, so Barca would finish above Real and Atletico

"I think we have criticised ourselves when it has been necessary, but today is not a day to criticise my players, it is a day to congratulate them," he added after Sunday's game.

"In the second half the players gave a lesson in how to face a situation like this. Until the 93rd minute they were trying to equalise and that is something to highlight.

"We've got a marvellous challenge. If we win the five games remaining we will be champions. If there is a team capable of doing it - and much more given what they have done - it is this Barca."

The run-in for the contenders
BarcelonaAtletico MadridReal Madrid
(a) Deportivo La Coruna(a) Athletic Bilbao(h) Villarreal
(h) Sporting Gijon(h) Malaga(a) Rayo Vallecano
(a) Real Betis(h) Rayo Vallecano(a) Real Sociedad
(h) Espanyol(a) Levante(h) Valencia
(a) Granada(h) Celta Vigo(a) Deportivo La Coruna

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71 comments

  • Comment posted by maxmerit, at 12:55 18 Apr 2016

    Simeone and Atletico smashed the dominance of Barca and Real by winning the title 2 years ago. A great chance of repeating that feat and also a possible Champions League final. I hope they do it, because they have around 20% of the resources, of either of the other 2.

  • Comment posted by K-Dogg, at 12:11 18 Apr 2016

    My favourite comment of the weekend "What's happened to Gary Neville's Valencia? Oh yeah the Gary Neville part."

  • Comment posted by 101, at 12:31 18 Apr 2016

    I'd go with Atletico Madrid to win La Liga

  • Comment posted by davidindevon, at 12:56 18 Apr 2016

    Pique says they are not worried "because of the way they are playing". If he thinks waving imaginary cards, diving, elbowing, widespread dissent by Barca players and coaching staff during matches, abusing match official and their 'take no prisoners' attitude is an acceptable way of 'playing' then I really hope that they do not win La Liga. Unfortunately AM and RM are no different.

  • Comment posted by Rainfordian, at 12:27 18 Apr 2016

    It seems a lot of Barca's recent opposition have been taking notes from Dad's Army?

    They don't like it up 'em !

  • Comment posted by Gooner Expat , at 16:18 18 Apr 2016

    Is Nev coming back as a pundit? If so, I'd get Sky just to hear his words of wisdom and how managers/coaches should do a better job! Ha!

  • Comment posted by U16331829, at 15:51 18 Apr 2016

    The BBC reports a defender saying his team is going to win the league and then they open the report up for comment. Good to see that the BBC is at the cutting edge of investigative sports reporting.

  • Comment posted by Old Father Thames, at 12:56 18 Apr 2016

    My wife is a stickler for fairness, she works in a primary school and does not even let captains of each playground break team pick one player each as she feels there is still a bias, so she insists on picking the teams randomly herself.

    I have tried to reason with her but to no avail.

  • Comment posted by turkish, at 14:06 18 Apr 2016

    They've imploded, they'll win nothing.

  • Comment posted by U15668950, at 15:19 18 Apr 2016

    La Liga is the strongest league by a long way. 5 out of 8 of the semi final places in europe this year, it has dominated later end in both for the past few years. Any of the top 7 teams in la liga would have won this years EPL. EPL is closer to the Italian league in terms of quality. With poor sides doing well in this years EPL Italy will be well placed to take 4th qualifying spot from same nxt yr

  • Comment posted by More Like It, at 15:05 18 Apr 2016

    well, the mid-table club formerly known as Gary Neville's Valencia did something even the top English sides would struggle to do ever, and won at Nou Camp

  • Comment posted by U14670979, at 13:57 18 Apr 2016

    Forza Atleti!

  • Comment posted by Jaap_Stams_Brow, at 13:19 18 Apr 2016

    What an arrogant comment to make that usually come back to bite people.

  • Comment posted by Mr Rush, at 12:42 18 Apr 2016

    It all hinges on their next game. Barcelona are playing well enough and should still La Liga. Amazing Messi has 500 goals when he's not an out and out goalscorer, just as much a playmaker as a goalscorer.

  • Comment posted by TDF, at 22:12 18 Apr 2016

    Real have scored 98 goals in 33 games. Even PSG can't manage that in the French league.

    I can't help feeling that the Spanish league is becoming ridiculous. There has to be a lack of quality when, taking the example of Real, they have scored 7, 5 and 4 twice in the space of ten games. Also this season they have managed 10 against a side unlikely to go down. They are good but no that good.

  • Comment posted by U16492276, at 16:37 18 Apr 2016

    The amount of stupid people who claim its only real and barca, sevilla europa league winners last season and will probably win it again making it 3 on the bounce atletico level with barca and are in cl semis over them. Give me a break 70% of teams in pl if they played a season in la liga would only be 1 or 2 positions off of where they finish this season.

  • Comment posted by U15529591, at 15:41 18 Apr 2016

    43. dvno

    English cynicism. It's toxic. E.g. at the moment we've got one of the most exciting England teams for a while - Kane, Vardy, Alli - yet people will still insist "oh we'll just pull an England like always".
    ____

    It will become easier if they actually do something in a tournament instead of just collapsing at the first hurdle.

    I watch England in tournaments just to laugh at them.

  • Comment posted by Neel, at 15:30 18 Apr 2016

    I want Atletico to win La Liga, Barcelona to win Copa Del Rey, and Real Madrid to win Champions League. :D

  • Comment posted by More Like It, at 14:51 18 Apr 2016

    @32
    Pretty sure putting the word 'fact' after something doesn't actually make it true.
    However, going to give it a go and see if it works.............Leicester would be relegation fodder in La Liga..FACT

  • Comment posted by More Like It, at 14:37 18 Apr 2016

    @22
    MUST TRY HARDER when checking
    Athletico Madrid won the league 2 seasons ago, and are currently joint top, with Real a point behind.

    Sevilla have won the Europe League the last 2 seasons & are going for 3 on the trot. Villareal are also in the semis.

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