Barca will ‘never give up’ on title – Martino

Semiu Salami
Semiu Salami

Barcelona coach, Gerardo Martino admits he has not been satisfied with the job he has done this season.

Going into Sunday’s game with Athletic Bilbao, the champions trail leaders Atletico Madrid by seven points – albeit with five games remaining, to the leaders’ four – and exited the Champions League and Copa del Rey this month.

Martino, who took over last summer, said: “This is a team that usually wins – they’ve always won something.

“Apart from the Spanish Super Cup, which is a long way in the past, the fact we have not won the Champions League or Copa del Rey and we only have a slight chance in La Liga, I can’t be satisfied with what I’ve done.”

However the Argentine says his side are “never going to give up” on defending their league title.

“We’ve received some heavy blows in the last week but teams above you can slip up and we have the obligation to compete until the very last whistle,” he said.

“We’re keeping at it because we still have the expectations so we have to recognise that we still have a chance. It’d be much more difficult to carry on if we didn’t have a chance of winning the league.”

Martino, who had never coached in Europe before this season, says he will not think about his future yet – with many media reports claiming he will leave in the summer.

“I think all my strength has to be concentrated on this season,” he said.

“It’s almost betraying the group thinking in terms of being in charge next season when we haven’t finished this season. I’ve just got to stand up and finish this season, then next season we’ll see.”

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