Koeman more optimistic after Barca move to third

BILBAO • Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman was glowing with pride after his side’s 3-2 away win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday and said the performance was a benchmark for the remainder of the La Liga season.

Barca fell behind in the third minute to an Inaki Williams goal during a counter-attack. But they responded emphatically with goals from teenager Pedri and a resurgent Lionel Messi either side of half-time before Iker Muniain struck late for the hosts.

“That’s the way we need to continue. We controlled the game the whole time and there were barely any dips in our play,” Koeman said.

The win lifted Barca into third place in the La Liga standings and led the Dutchman to reassess previous pessimistic comments about his side’s faint chances of catching leaders Atletico Madrid (38 points), who lead Real by two points and are ahead of the Catalans by seven points with two games in hand.

“The title race is still open because the season is very long. There can be injuries, teams can have downturns and a side that looks very good can end up struggling,” Koeman said.

He also praised Messi, who produced arguably his best performance of the season and was unlucky not to grab a hat-trick.

On 18-year-old playmaker Pedri, who served up Messi’s first goal with an outrageous backheel into his path, Koeman added: “He plays with so much maturity despite his age and most importantly he uses his head.”

REUTERS