Diego Martinez boasted after Las Palmas win at Barcelona that. He had studied the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents.
Las Palmas coach Diego Martinez has revealed. He has been studying his opponents’ tactics after he delivered another blow to Barcelona. As his side beat the Blaugrana at their home ground for the first time since 1971, Mundo Deportivo reported on Sunday. UFABET
Martinez has an impressive record when it comes to managing teams against Barcelona. From Osasuna, Granada, Espanyol to Las Palmas, winning against the teams of Ernesto Valverde and Ronald Koeman. Drawing under Xavi Hernandez and most recently Hansi Flick.
The 43-year-old trainer said:
‘I study all my opponents, but sometimes. Despite studying them very well, for whatever reason, things don’t go according to plan. In any case, it doesn’t only depend on your success, but also on the success of your opponents. The first thing to score points here is to believe, that’s the most important thing,’
‘I like a team that plays with the ball really well. We play fast, with good transitions, aerial duels to exploit those spaces. There were hardly any aerial duels, so I don’t think it was direct. I would have liked to have had more possession, yes, but when we had it I liked what we did. Sorry the substitution disrupted the game, but the players couldn’t do more.’
Asked how much the win meant to Las Palmas after 53 years of beating the Blaugrana at their home ground,
‘I don’t like to make distinctions because we are a team. We have two great Scots, Ollie, Scott, who feel like they are from Gran Canaria. For players who have been here for a long time, it’s special, but I want to emphasize the team spirit and what it means to everyone. ‘
‘For those who ask a lot of questions about Barcelona, I hope you also think of us, have some empathy, know that this is very important for us as well, and 15 points for us could be a step towards our survival.’
Martinez also revealed that he has been urging his players to exploit the space behind Barcelona’s full-backs and use a few passes to successfully attack their opponents.
‘They are a very complete team, they do things very well, but with the few chances they give, it is an option to go into the spaces, or to go one way and change positions quickly. It requires three, four, five quick passes, direct play. That is why I gave details to your colleagues earlier.’