FC Barcelona are well prepared for their upcoming clash in La Liga EA Sports against a rigid opposition in RCD Mallorca. While statistically, their opponents have not had the best of starts, Barcelona and Xavi Hernandez are well aware of the fact that no opponent should be taken lightly if their league title is to be retained.
With the 20-man squad list already out, Barcelona are up and running as they suit up to travel to the Balearic Islands of Spain to face off against Mallorca at their home. On the other hand, the head coach of RCD Mallorca had some interesting things to say about his team’s upcoming fixture against the Catalan giants.
As highlighted by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, RCD Mallorca head coach Javier Aguirre has spoken in detail about his squad and the match against Barcelona. With various topics concerning Barca having been touched upon, here are a few key ones:
The quality of Barcelona
Aguirre acknowledged that this new Barcelona side under Xavi Hernandez has been heavily impressive. Almost considering it to look unstoppable, he heaped particular praise onto the new arrivals, Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, stating Barca to be a “formidable and unstoppable team with the two Joaos (Felix and Cancelo).”
Mallorca’s inspiration
However, the manager did point out that he had a special game plan for Barcelona that would be specifically designed to take on La Blaugrana and has inspiration taken from two previous outings where Barcelona seemed to struggle:
“We’ve seen two matches in which Barcelona really struggled. One was against Getafe and the other against Celta. Considering what your colleagues (José Bordalás and Rafa Benítez) do, along with our own strengths, we’ve tried to design something to counter their game.”
5-man defense
The Mallorca head coach also recalled and paid special attention to the fact that both times that Barcelona have struggled, they have faced off against 5-man defensive structures.
Interestingly, the manager himself has also incorporated 5-man defenses at Mallorca ever since he became their head coach. His tactics have frequently used such formations and it seems to be what he will opt for against Barcelona as well.
Motivation to face Barca
Lastly, the coach of RCD Mallorca also touched upon the fact that his team is heavily motivated to face the Catalan giants. Any questions about his team’s morale or excitement for the game were shut down by Aguirre, who simply put it forth:
“Against Barcelona, everyone wants to play; I don’t need to motivate them.”
