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Thursday, 28 March 2024

Setien gets first win with Barca after late Messi goal

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Setien gets first win with Barca after late Messi goal
Setien gets first win with Barca after late Messi goal

New Barcelona manager Quique Setien gets first win after Lionel Messi nets late goal

SHOWS: BARCELONA, SPAIN (JANUARY 19, 2020)(LALIGA/MEDIPRO - Broadcasters and Digital: NO RESALES) 1.

NEW BARCELONA MANAGER QUIQUE SETIEN WALKING INTO POST MATCH NEWS CONFERENCE AFTER DEFEATING GRANADA 1-0 2.

(SOUNDBITE)(Spanish)(ROUGH TRANSLATION) BARCELONA MANAGER QUIQUE SETIEN AFTER BEING ASKED WHAT HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE, SAYING: "We know what the factors are that influence things, it can be just the matter of 10 centimetres between the ball going out or staying in.

In the first half I think we had four chances or so that we could have finished with a goal but it hit either a defender or the goalkeeper and it happens, it isn't easy to improve on this because it depends on a moment of inspiration that you either have or you don't.

In the end having Messi, that's that makes things calmer because he's been doing this for more than a decade, it's an advantage for any team.

Besides this there are other things that we can control, the team played well, when I stop and watch the game I'm sure I'll see things that we can improve but I'm very happy really with lots of the things that we saw today, we may need to break up our play a little bit more but I need to look at it more in depth.

As for what i said about the other matter we'll see, I said that yesterday, it's an option to sign players but we'll see." BARCELONA, SPAIN (JANUARY 19, 2020)(STILL PHOTOS-MUTE)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 3.

STILL PHOTO OF NEW BARCELONA MANAGER QUIQUE SETIEN DURING MATCH AGAINST GRANADA 4.

STILL PHOTO OF BARCELONA'S LIONEL MESSI SCORING GOAL IN 76TH MINUTE TO TAKE 1-0 LEAD 5.

VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF BARCELONA'S MESSI CELEBRATING STORY: Barcelona may have a new coach but Lionel Messi remains their unquestionable talisman after guiding the Spanish champions to a nervy 1-0 win at home to Granada in La Liga on Sunday (January 19) in Quique Setien's first game in charge of the club.

The Argentine struck the only goal in the 76th minute, firing into the bottom corner to complete a well crafted team move shortly after the visitors had defender German Sanchez sent off.

The victory took Barca back to the top of La Liga on 43 points after 20 games, ahead of second-placed Real Madrid on goal difference.

Barca, who sacked Ernesto Valverde last week despite being La Liga leaders and winning the last two titles by considerable margins, enjoyed 82% of possession and made a staggering 1005 passes in their first game under Setien.

The former Real Betis coach is known for his devotion to the possession-based style of play Barca became renowned for under Johan Cruyff and perfected under Pep Guardiola, but Granada, who beat Barca 2-0 in September, proved stubborn opponents.

The visitors even came close to taking the lead when Cameroonian Yan Brice Eteki struck the post in a rare foray forward but they eventually caved in after Sanchez picked up a second yellow card and was dismissed for hauling down Messi.

Messi had come closest to scoring for Barca with two powerful yet inaccurate shots either side of halftime but he made no mistake when Arturo Vidal dragged the ball into his path in a slick passing move engineered by substitute Riqui Puig.

Twenty-year-old Puig was rarely given a look in by Valverde but he was given his first league appearance of the season by 61-year-old Setien, who has pledged to honour the club's tradition of giving young, home-grown players a chance.

(Production: David Grip)

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