Setien talks Real Betis return, Loren Moron and Barca away form

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The latest from the Camp Nou

Barcelona boss Quique Setien gave his usual pre-match press conference on Saturday ahead of tomorrow’s La Liga clash at Real Betis.

The 61-year-old was asked about the prospect of taking on his former side, what kind of striker he’d like to sign, Barca’s dodgy away form and also spoke about a number of Barcelona and Betis players.

Here are the best bits:

Setien on Real Betis

It’s a special game for me and my staff. We were there for two extraordinary years. Some new players have joined the club but we have in-depth knowledge of the players we will face. But just because I know them does not mean I have them under control. We know it will be a very difficult game. They may not have had some very good results recently but they beat Sociedad very well in their last home game.

Setien on what type of striker he wants

Versatility is obviously very important to us but that can be difficult to find. You can only have what’s on the market. First we need authorisation to sign a player. We’ve got quite a few names on the list but there are other conditions we need to think about. It doesn’t always depend on me or the club but on circumstances. Obviously we need to find somebody and I’m sure he would help us.

Setien on Loren Moron

Of course we know Loren very well. He’s a player with a lot to offer, a very interesting player. He was top scorer in the league for quite a few weeks. What can I say? I think he’s a very good player with many virtues.

Setien on away form

I think we’ve improved a lot. The other day, in Bilbao, we improved, but we had no luck. In the fifth minute, we had a clear chance and we don’t score. And then, in the end, they score. This happens. Sometimes there is no logical explanation but it happens. Suddenly things can change later. We can’t dwell on it too much, just focus on improving and what we have to do with the ball.

Setien on Pique’s absence, having only 14 first team players available

We have some players who have come up to train from the B team. Araujo will surely travel with us. There are other players we are looking at. We will try to find solutions in defence but the position that needs to be strengthened is in attack.

Setien on Copa del Rey exit

I think we’ve all got the same thought. We were hurt by losing but we learnt a lot from it. We need to try to take the good conclusions from that game. It’s a question now of getting back out on the pitch, playing another game, there’s not much time to dwell on your sorrows. You need to be fresh and ready for tomorrow.

Setien Riqui Puig and Alex Collado

They’re two very different players, we’re figuring out what kind of players we need most. They both have opportunities to play, we’re seeing what they’re capable of doing in the training sessions. Riqui has a lot of competition in his position, but Collado will surely get more chances as he is more attacking.

Source: barcablaugranes.com