Setien accepts the difficult situation in Barcelona, but not divisions and surrender

Quaque Setién faced one of his most difficult press conferences on Monday, since he became Barca's coach. Already two points after Real Madrid in the rankings, the title race becomes quite difficult. He appeared before reporters on the eve of the next match, against Atlético Madrid.

Because of the rival's level, do you feel this is the hardest fight left?
We've all seen the matches against Atlético Madrid are questionable, difficult. The opponent has a lot of options, it's a great team, identified in the way Simeon does things. They'll probably do the hardest things for us. However, the rest of the matches will be as important as this. Victory has already become vital, because you can't compensate for anything, there's a few fights left. We'll pay due attention to this fight, but it's worth three points like all.

Do you think managing this situation is harder than you thought?
No. True, there is always controversy because, as in life, we all have our own way of looking at things. This is common. I wasn't even an easy player at the time. I have my vision of things. I think there's good communication on the team and I don't care about specific questions.

We know after the last fight there was tension in your dressing room. Has the relationship of trust in Barcelona been broken?
When victory is missing and a highly important match is played, you normally cannot enjoy it. We are concerned with more general aspects of the team. The relationship with football players is good. There are specific moments when there may be differences, but there is no problem worth mentioning.

Yesterday you had a tense encounter with the players. Then Pique said the situation is not right. Are you worried about your future?
We are developing such meetings more often from the calendar. We talked about many subjects yesterday, but we focused on football to do better. The situation we are going through, where our superiority in the game cannot be turned into goals, is accompanied by nervousness and frustration. But there is something that can be changed if we play a little more freely.

Are you a god of Barca in decision making or are there stars there that rule the most?
We all have to give up a part of ourselves, including footballers, for the benefit of the team. Barcelona as such should act. Sometimes you have to sacrifice some personal things to get the team. I don't mind accepting that it's a new situation, a time when you learn a lot and gradually do what you want to do. But it has nothing to do with players. These are processes that time puts everything in its place.

Do you see Arthur in formation?
I'm not dependent on what Arthur's mother said. We expect greater commitment from him until the last match here. He's still a Barcelona player, by the end of the season, and has promised to give everything to achieve the club's goals. Arthur is a boy who will be honored until his last day.

Are you more weakened in your role than when you arrived?
Absolutely not. I feel the same way and I'll feel this way until the last day. The first thing I shouldn't do is lose consciousness. I'm doing what I can, things are getting pretty good. This calms and relaxes me. Sometimes the results don't depend on me. You already know how football is. I think we're doing a good job and we're getting better. Victory depends on a lot of things. There are moments and moments. When you win, you enjoy it; when you lose, you're worth nothing.

There's a lot of media noise about your picture and Arthur's future. Can you prepare such a match with so many links?
Of course. The noise is created by you, journalists, I stand outside of it. As a coach, I focus on the things I need. I don't know what moves in the background until the information office tells me something. I'm focused, I know how this trade works, and I try not to be as affected as many footballers are by a negative result. It's my job to be calm, not lose my compass, even when results don't make this comfort.

Do you still think that Real Madrid can make points at the remaining matches and take advantage of you?
We can control what we can control; that is, ourselves, not others.

How can you attack Simeon?
Atlético Madrid is a rigid rival, not easy to infiltrate. This is his story in these years. We will have to move well into the field, with clarity and accuracy, operating in narrow spaces.

Do you think Greezmann lost the specific weight on the team?
The reality is that 11 players can play in formation. You kept asking me why they didn't play Ansu, Riki... Sometimes they'll play the next fight. This is depending on the opponent, the shape of everyone, and what I see in training. But everyone's important, everyone has a chance. There are players with a particular hierarchy, but everyone can play or not.

What happened between Mess and Sarabia (helper)?
Nothing special. The truth is this. I don't know what I mean.

If you don't win tomorrow, do you say goodbye to the title?
We believe until math allows us this. The reality wants us to win every remaining match. Then let's see what happens.