Jorge Sampaoli identifies the ingredients that allow Barcelona to always remain competitive | OneFootball

With the way they have performed in all the competitions they have been competing in, FC Barcelona have generated a lot of admiration and praise from footballing personalities from around the world.

The latest individual to speak highly of this Blaugrana team was the former Argentine national team coach Jorge Sampaoli, who appeared in an interview with SPORT and talked about different aspects of this Barcelona team.

Jorge Sampaoli on Barcelona vs Inter Milan

One such aspect that he addressed was identifying how the Catalans were able to get a draw against Inter Milan despite going down early in the game:

“I always sum it up with two words: naturalness and freedom. I believe that in this world, where it’s so difficult to be free, these players have the ability to play without stress. Even if they concede a goal or two—any Champions League team going down 2–0 at home would feel a lot of nervousness—the team wasn’t shaken.”

“They know they have a tool, which is playing good football and creating connections that can hurt the opponent at any moment. And then, they created no fewer than ten chances in the first half. It could’ve ended 5–2.”

“The same has happened in La Liga, like against Celta or other matches where they were losing, and it looked like everything would go badly. But suddenly, they have so much conviction that they change the outcome based on that belief.”

Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring for Barcelona. [Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images]

The former Sevilla trainer also revealed why he watches Barcelona games:

“Yes, I always watch it. Luis Enrique’s PSG as well. They’re teams that give me the sense they’re not afraid to have the ball and do things with it. Most teams don’t want the ball. They want the other team to have it so that the other team’s mistake allows them to win the match. And I don’t like that approach of relying on waiting rather than taking the lead.”

“So now that I have the chance to be a neutral person, I watch what I enjoy, like it’s a movie starring my favorite actor.”

Admiration for Lamine Yamal and Pedri

A good part of the interview was about his admiration for Lamine Yamal, but despite this admiration, Sampaoli still believed Lionel Messi was ahead of him:

“Leo, for me, is different. I see him differently from a footballing perspective—Leo is something else. I always say that you can talk about football players, and then you talk about Leo. It’s a whole different world, a different story. He’s the best player of all time because he has stayed at that level from the moment he started until the end—or until now. He’s still a player who makes the difference.”

“I see Lamine as very similar to Neymar when he first appeared—a player who, yes, at that time we also thought would compete for the number one spot in the world with Leo, and, well… it didn’t happen.”

In addition to Yamal, Pedri was another player the Argentine trainer liked from this Barcelona team:

“Pedri, I’d take him to my backyard. Let him play for a while just so I could watch him. He’s extraordinary.”

It is definitely good to hear such an accomplished voice in football speak so highly of Barcelona. Although he does not have any association with any of the involved teams, it is easy to imagine Jorge Sampaoli supporting the Blaugranes in the upcoming game against Inter Milan.