FC Barcelona’s Quique Setien Reveals La Liga Stoppage Was Beneficial For His Club

The coronavirus outbreak has affected all major sports ever since it was declared a global pandemic. While it may have suspended the La Liga for a considerable time, FC Barcelona’s Quique Setien shared that he was able to find it beneficial for his club.

Per Sport, by way of Everything Barca, the veteran manager shared that the disposition of his players has been positive amidst the current situation. Individual workouts while following social distancing protocol has been a priority so far and has served well for the team for the resumption of the games.

“The team is doing well with the work we’ve been doing. We would have needed an extra week to really be in good condition. All the players have a lot of enthusiasm and are very motivated to play,” Setien said.

Given that a regular-season would entail players getting fatigued and drained, the unexpected time away the usual busy schedule was way for his players to recharge.

“[The stoppage] has been good because the players get tired. It’s been different from other years in their careers.” Setien added.

Prior to the suspension of games, Barcelona was on top of the La Liga standings as they led all clubs with 58 points. Throughout 27 games played by each squad, they were able to land the first seed with a record of 18 wins, four draws and five losses. It’s notable that their rivals Real Madrid is right behind them with a total of 56 points.

The competition has been tight as Zinedine Zidane and the rest of the Los Blancos are aiming to finish their campaign strong with a title run. This however doesn’t bother Setien much as he expects the same thing from Barcelona. Having a composed mindset during the break and additional faith in his team has them right where they want to be.

“Normally in pre-season, you play games, rotate and now will be different. We’ll see how the games are and each player’s situation, each one is different. We have to win all the games. We’re in a good mental state and we’ll see how the games go and the difficulties opponents pose us.” Serien shared.

Thanks to the time off to recover, Barcelona is aiming to make the most out of their La Liga return with a recharged mental and physical state.