"I don't have the team where I want it on a footballing level"

Gerardo Martino has admitted that he's not 100% happy with the level Barça is playing at. "In terms of the team's league positions then that's fine, but I don't have the team where I want it on a footballing level. There have been games when I felt we were almost there, but there have been other times when we've been further from the mark. We need more consistency in our game to get to our best. If any team loses two games in a row then it's because it hasn't done well. We've spoken about how to improve", he said.
"You can see the group's unity from its defeats. We've spoken quite a bit since the two losses and the conversations with the group have left me feeling satisfied. I got the feeling that the team played against Cartagena with a lot of self-esteem and humility, understanding the moment we were going through".
The Argentine coach assessed the importance of the Celtic game. "Given the consequences that every game has in Barcelona, it is very important to finish top of the group. We need to win and put on a good display. We need to distance ourselves from playing within our comfort zone. Every game has consequences for us, with more of them negative than positive", he said.
"We need to be precise in building and spreading play. We need to imagine the game being played in 30 metres of the pitch. We'll need to be precise to avoid Celtic counter-attacks, because otherwise there'll be consequences if we don't press well", he explained.
"This game will serve to underline what happened the other day and to demonstrate that we can play better. A win would give us the most points in the group and leave us feeling calm in knowing we finished top. Everything about this game is important", he said.