Valverde on Sporting Lisbon game, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta

Ernesto Valverde is more and more comfortable in press conferences as Barcelona coach as the weeks pass. On Tuesday he spoke ahead of Wednesday's Champions League game against Sporting Club at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. 

The possibility of Lionel Messi being man-marked was one of the major points. Valverde didn't seem too worried by the subject. Maybe because he feels there's no formual to stop the Argentine. Perhaps because in his spell as Athletic Club coach he saw that man-marking wasn't entirely reliable, having tried with Balenziaga.

"Make the most of what he can," he said about Sporting man-marking Messi. "You may think it’s an advantage for the opponent but I don’t think it is. I used the same tactic at Athletic and we ended up losing that game. It doesn’t always work out and I didn't think it was convenient to do it again." 

On Barça's good form and his growin reputation, he said: "Football’s about results. If you win, everything is wonderful. The next month, you can be doing the same things, but results don’t come and people think badly of you. The same people praise you now and criticise you later. All we can do is keep trying to win as that brings calm." 

For that to happen, Valverde continues to count on Andres Iniesta: "He is a fundamental player for us, clearly. That’s why he’s playing so many games. It would be a lie to say we don’t miss him when he’s not playing. He marks the way we play and he’s done that throughout his career, he’s been one of the team’s playmakers. Has been, is and will be a very important part of the team and no doubt he will play a lot of football."

ON SPECIFIC PLAYERS...

Nelson Semedo: "There's a good chance he will start tomorrow, we have an away game… If he hasn’t [started an away game] yet it’s because I’ve not chosen him, what else can I say? Nelson is a player who has been slowly settling in to the team. It’s not easy to join the dynamic of play we have here, the way Barca play. He found it hard at first, but he’s improved a lot. Every time he plays you notice in defence and attack how quick he is. I’m sure he’s going to help us a lot."

Paulinho: "We’re verry happy with Paulinho. There was perhaps a lot of talk around his signing, but it wasn’t just him, these things have happened with other players. He does a lot for the team, he's blended into the group well… We are very satisfied with what we’ve got from him, but above all with how he’s integrated with the squad." 

Paco Alcacer: "He was in the squad for the Girona game… what can I say? Who knows what will happen in the future. There are 24 players in the squad and you’re going to ask about the ones I don’t pick, but I can’t pick them all, UEFA's rules don’t allow that." 

Gerard Deulofeu: "Sometimes things just don’t work out for forwards. Sometimes it’s mental, you score a goal or set one up and it catches on… You get strikers who don’t touch the ball for the whole game and then they score a hat-trick. It’s about keeping the faith and staying the calm."