Luis Enrique: "Ideal situation would be Real Madrid having zero points"

Luis Enrique was happy with the way Barcelona overcame the challenge of Eibar on Saturday evening.

For the Asturian coach, his players put in professional performance against a decent side who did well to close the final third off for large parts of the match.

Here are some of the key points he made in his post-match press conference:

Chances conceded in the first half: "I am not worried about those two occasions. It's normal that a rival will create openings."

Barça's level ahead of the Clasico: "The team is never in the ideal moment because we always want to improve things. We have played a great game against a difficult rival [Eibar] who lined up 5-3-2. In the second half, the support of the fans helped us."

Eight clean sheets: "I am delighted not to have conceded but it is not the primary objective. What we are looking for is to win and to be better than our rival in all aspects of the game."

A rest for Lionel Messi? "I will give him a rest. I trust his sensations, though, and he tells me how he is feeling. Over the course of a long season everyone will have a rest; this is a very special moment though for him and for the team, though."

Zarra's record motivation? "Leo has had the same motivation since day one, in every training session and match. Now he's close to a record nobody thought would be broke. He could have done it today, but a game at the Bernabeu, for a cule, is already enough motivation. But, of course, it is another stimuli for him."

Xavi Hernandez: "He was exceptional arriving from the second line. He helped us a lot."

Dani Alves: "He is vital for us, for me he is the best in his position and I like his spirit."

Mascherano in midfield: "Masche helps us in all the positions. I've always seen him more as a defender, but in the role today he has been very good. It's a great option for the future. He's excellent defensively and can carry the ball into attack."

Ideal situation for Clasico? "No, the ideal scenario would be that Madrid have zero points and we'd have won every game [ironically]. But, in all seriousness, I don't think it will be a decisive game for the league because there are a lot of matches remaining. We go looking for a positive result and to offer a good image of the team. This is the same idea for the Ajax game."