We need the ball even to defend; that's our objective: having the ball and having it as far as possible from our goal as possible.

Scoring a goal is very important for us, but the objective is to win the match.

The objective is always to win.

Ernesto Valverde is a great coach.

When you play against Athletic, you know there is no easy ball.

I work every day 100 percent, but I assure you that I'll quit if my players don't follow me.

I focus on football. I'm not interested in gossip.

I've got no interest in justifying myself to a player of mine.

I have to take criticisms, and I will continue to take them for what I think is best for the team.

Football is a contact sport and sometimes is difficult to measure that.

I've been satisfied with everything since I arrived at Barca, and I'm pleased with the players' attitude.

There's always a possibility that players can come and go when the market opens.

Any one of Messi, Neymar, Xavi, or Suarez can take penalties; it doesn't matter.

I've never known anybody who is able to see what's behind him.

He has ambition and hunger, but I would not say Messi is the only piece of art at Barca.

Messi no longer surprises me.

When we have a defensive situation in which we are conceding too many goals, it is not just a problem in the defense but the entire team, starting with the coach.

It's always tough playing away from home.

If Leo is at his level, it's going to be very difficult to find a solution to stop him.

I don't talk about what happened after one game or the other. We look at a season as a whole picture.

I like to be close to the players and listen to what they've got to say and feel. Then I make decisions from a coach's point of view, thinking about what's best for the team.

Being praised constantly weakens you.

When I leave Barca, I'm sure I'll take at least a year off.

The captains of the national team are the ones that have played the most matches. That's what I had in the national team. Maximum respect to those players.