Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is gracious in defeat and stresses that what matters now is refocusing on the other two challenges - the league and the cup. Barça manager Luis Enrique was naturally despondent following elimination from the Champions League on Wednesday night at the Vicente Calderón. Here’s a selection of quotes from his post-match press conference.

“Our target was to retain the title and our hopes were high. We won’t be winning it this year and the team are feeling sad. We always set the highest of targets. Right now we simply have to accept the defeat, understand this as the kind of thing that happens in sport and turn to the other targets that we have on the horizon. We have to improve our performances.”

“It was the kind of game we expected. We got through the first half without problems and their first goal came out of unfortunate move. We weren’t at our most lucid”.

“This is not our best moment, nor our most effective. We have to lift ourselves because we’ve got two very tasty challenges ahead of us.”

“I didn’t expect Atlético Madrid to be tranquil. Their idea of making the most of the few chances they got paid off well for them. They opened the scoring and then did what they are best at, defending in their own half. We were lacking finesse”.

“We were in control of the game but things didn’t work out the way we’d planned. With everything lost, we found it harder and harder. I can only congratulate Atlético Madrid and wish them luck.”

“We evidently aren’t in our best form. But I’m very proud of my players and I apologise to all of the fans for this elimination.”

fcbarcelona.com