All I say is ‘abracadabra’ and Messi, Suarez and Neymar conjure magic, says Enrique as Barcelona bid to outgun Arsenal
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique revelled in the ease of conjuring magic from his aces in the pack Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar as the lethal striking trident bid to outgun Arsenal.
Messi, Suarez and Neymar have netted an astonishing 91 goals between them this season, while reigning European champions and La Liga leaders Barcelona have won 16 of their last 18 matches across all competitions.
“I tell them ‘abracadabra’ and the magic sparks, that is all I do,” said Enrique, who scored two Champions League group-stage goals for the Catalans against Arsenal in 1999.
“In some situations you don’t even have to wish what you would like them to do, they already do it.
“I have three great players, they are the chosen ones, they are eager to win and every two or three days they have new motivation.”
Enrique opted against resting Messi, Suarez or Neymar as they all played the full 90 minutes against Las Palmas on Saturday, and midfielder Ivan Rakitic insists a policy of rotation would not be welcomed by the triumvirate.
He said: “They are like children playing football and it would be like taking the ball away from them [to rest them].”