Luis Enrique refuses to use fixture list as an excuse for Barcelona
Luis Enrique refused to use the fixture list as an excuse ahead of Barcelona's clash with Valencia.
The Catalans played on Wednesday night against Manchester City and are playing again on Saturday, with just two days in between to prepare.
There is no reason they could not have played on Sunday, when Real Madrid are in action against Athletic Club.
"The fixture list is the fixture list. I don't think about that. Ask the people who make the fixture lists. I don't care," said the coach.
"This is my third season and there are basic facets which are repeated in every game and we've worked on them, which is a beneift of having a manager for a long period.
"Not having long to prepare for game is usual, we're used to dealing with that, it's a question of having players fit again, so rather than training it's video and team talks which are important. We don't want to overburden players, we want them to be fresh. So yes, videos, talks, are important. This will happen all season, we're used to it. Recovery is the important thing. There are no excuses for what might or might not happen."
Regarding playing away against Valencia, he said: "Playing away from home is always tough. A place like Mestalla, with strong home support is always difficult to play in front of. Yes, they have gone through a lot of managers, but they have some outstanding players."
