Gerard Piqué: “Only we can lose La Liga”

After FC Barcelona's victory over Atlético Madrid this Sunday, Gerard Piqué was interviewed on Barça TV’s El Marcador. He declared that “only we can lose La Liga,” and “we can allow ourselves the luxury of losing points, but we cannot allow ourselves to fall into a bad run of form." Piqué added that the Liga is far from over.

The Catalan defender, who played his 200th official match in the Blaugrana strip on Sunday evening, also stated that “we’re having a brilliant season and the results prove that.” He added: “Our form is improving with every match and I’m very pleased to be playing for this team. It’s spectacular to watch my teammates play.”

Adriano changed the match

For Piqué, the match against Atlético changed when Adriano scored the equaliser for the Blaugrana. “The goal gave us a lot, because [Atlético Madrid] were playing at a very high level and in the blink of an eye we were up 2-1,” said the Barça center back. He also noted that defending against a player like Falcao is no easy matter: “He plays into space really well. He can score. He’s powerful and he’s having a brilliant season. When you’re defending against him you have to realize that he can outrun you, but I think that between all of us we shut him down in the second half.”

Improving on a daily basis

Despite picking up an injury at the start of the season, Piqué is enjoying a lot of minutes on the pitch for the first team. “I feel great physically. I’m on form after my injury and tonight I was able to show my quality. Again, I feel great,” said Piqué. In addition, he thanked Pep Guardiola for the confidence the ex-FC Barcelona manager instilled in him when he returned to Barça in 2008. “When I arrived Pep gave me a lot of minutes on the pitch. Last year wasn’t my best, but I’m improving as time goes on and I gain experience.”

Lastly, Piqué talked about the various opinions emanating from Madrid on Leo Messi’s knock against Benfica. “I feel as though people like Mourinho doubt how professional Messi is.”