Ernesto Valverde

Xavi is one of the best players in the history of football.

We all know how management works. If you don't win things, as has happened before, people start to call for your head.

Ronaldo leaving would seem to have ended the competition between Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo because people rarely mention one without mentioning the other. A lot of people are interested - me, too - to see how it will affect Real Madrid's football and what they might do in the transfer market.

Throughout the season, you have days when you are more fortunate than others.

Everyone loves playing in semi-finals and finals.

Historically, Barcelona win La Liga when they win the Champions League.

I never let myself forget that our rivals are waiting for us to slip up and feed their hope of catching us.

My future at Barca does not matter to me. I do not care.

When the opposition sits back and defends well and together, it's difficult.

I think that everyone expects Xavi to be a coach, and he has the profile to be at Barcelona or wherever he is.

What I'd most highlight about Leo Messi is his huge sense of responsibility for the team. It shows in every game in every competition.

It is good to win because it boosts you in what you're doing and allows you to start the season in a positive way.

The decisions you make are based on what you think is better for the team and the player.

Winning the UCL is really difficult. Only one team can win it, so it's very difficult.

Getafe is an uncomfortable rival for Barca and for anyone. They are experts in winning second balls.

I would have given my arm to be able to do what Iniesta does when I was a player.

Messi is the same player in Barcelona and Argentina, and it would be the same if he played with Australia.

We prioritise everything. We will always fight for the Champions League. Barca will always be like that - we are very excited - but the way to win the Champions League is to win the league.

In regard to criticism, we are in the world of football and subject to continuous criticism.

Of course there is 'Messidependence.' It would exist in any team in the world, but when he is not there, we also have to play and try to win. Leo is fundamental for us and marks the style; it is well known that he is the best in the world for something.

Positional play is good for training, but in games, to win matches, you need someone who can go past defenders and take chances.

If you win a game, everyone is happy, and if you lose, everyone is watching you.

I never think long or long term.

A derby is always special.

Wins are big boosts for your confidence, but sometimes you don't notice little things. When you lose a game, it means that the opponent has had a plan, and it's worked - now we need to see our capacity for response.

When you lose is when you learn the most.

When you sign a contract with a club like Barca, that's what you have to cope with. You have to show your face when you've lost games. I knew that when I came into the job.

Atletico is a rival who will never give up.

Liverpool are a very powerful opponent.

Villarreal have played well against difficult opponents. They're never an easy team to beat.

There is something fundamental about Leo in terms of what he transmits to the supporters and what he transmits to the opposition when he starts to run at you. And I speak from experience.

Football is a game of emotions.

We all want our players to be perfect and never make errors, but we all do. Even coaches.

Football is a game of errors. You want to make your rivals commit them and to avoid them yourself.

I do not think it is very easy to win away from home in the Champions League.

Good players always adapt well.

Messi always gets us out of trouble, and we're not going to apologise for having him.

It's never easy to find players in the market who are exactly what you need at that time.

Iniesta teaches you something in every match.

All matches have a high difficulty level.

You cannot talk to a player who has a contract. It's not in my code.

I don't like to talk about players from other teams, just like I wouldn't like it if the opposition coach talked about my team. It's a question of respect.

Every player is free to decide over their future, just like the clubs can decide who they keep.

Everything is focused on the coach. It's what happens in football.

I don't like to see any coach get sacked - not Lopetegui, not the Huesca coach, not the Granada coach, and, of course, not the Barca coach.

I know what it's like to be in a difficult situation, where the results do not come in.

As far as enthusiasm goes, yes, certain games maybe bring more out of the players.

Dembele is a player who has been playing regularly, from the bench or the start, and he has quality. When he comes off the bench, he can change a game, and that's a quality that is undervalued in football. Not everybody has that quality.

Technology is going to be good for football, but it will take time to adjust. The important thing is that the games have rhythm; at the beginning, it will be complicated, but there are plays that require it.

Dembele has things that nobody else in the squad has - self-confidence, one against one, shooting with both feet, personality.