Garcia: Flick decided to keep me after the game against Benfica, that game changed everything

Barcelona central defender Eric Garcia accepted an exclusive interview with "Daily Sports" and talked about the departure of teammate Inigo Martinez, his old club Girona, and the prospect of leaving the team on loan.

Inigo once said that he couldn't sleep after playing in this style. He would drink coffee before a game to stay focused and afterward to feel the adrenaline of going through it all. Eric, can you sleep?

"Yes, I can sleep on it. Defending high is risky if you don't do it well, but that's the trick. If we do it well, most opponents will fall into the offside trap because they get into a rush and they see so much space and feel it's obvious they have to Gotta get the ball there, but they did it too quickly. We clearly need to keep improving because the opponents are constantly looking for ways. Overall, it's a way of playing that's going well at the moment. "

Without Inigo, you're playing more, but he's a friend who's gone. Miss him?

"I met him in the national team. He is a very charming person, very helpful in the locker room, and a leader on the pitch. Obviously, such a person will be missed. "

He said that he is good at being the kind of leader who speaks and spurs his teammates. Maybe your other central defenders have a different style. Do you think you can take on this role?

"This is something I'm doing more and more and I've been told that they feel I have the ability to do it. I believe I can do it, and having been around Inigo and seeing how he does it, he's a guy I can learn from. If I can help the team like that, I'd love it. "

In La Masia, you are a head taller than many of your teammates because you develop earlier. You learned to defend with this physical advantage, but when you grew up the situation reversed and you had to face forwards who were stronger than you. How did you adapt to this change?

"This is a natural process. Your body will not be the same at 18, 20, 22, 24 years old. At a certain point, you have to see your weaknesses and strengths and work on them. Football is becoming more and more physically demanding, and you will encounter faster and stronger opponents. You have to know how to play, you are not going to lift A hundred kilograms of barbell, because then you will lose something else, but you will find out what you have to do. The right combination is to know how to stand on the court and what to do off the court. "

When Inigo left, he said this about you: 'Quietly, quietly, shut up (referring to silently working hard to silence the doubters) '. Do you feel like you've silenced the doubters?

"I knew my potential and the people around me knew it. I was labeled at first, but people were impatient. This is part of today's times and social media, making judgments without knowing the situation. I didn't take it personally, because it happened to other players too, and I knew very well that I had to focus on myself because I knew my potential. That's why I went on loan to Girona: I needed playing time, to get the consistent playing opportunities that I lacked at the time. When I joined Barcelona , I didn’t play much football at Manchester City for a year because my contract was not renewed. Here I started to play well, but then I stopped playing. When you're young, you need to compete. You will make mistakes because no one is born an expert. To this day, at this moment, I can hold my chest high and be proud, but football is a game full of mistakes and I won't do that because later on, when I make a mistake, the criticism will come back. "

Another central defender with whom you have a special rapport is Kubasi. How does it feel to play with him? How do you complement each other to make up for any lack of size or aggressiveness against bigger centers?

"Cubasi and I were lucky enough to play together in the Olympics, in all games, and I can say that we understand each other almost without speaking. It is true that we may not be the two tallest centre-backs, but in the end if you look at the example of Mascherano at Barcelona, the level he showed, there are many centre-backs nowadays who are not particularly tall. At the end of the day, you are here at Barcelona Playing in such a club, you usually have 70% of the ball. Obviously, in the 30% of the time when you don't have the ball, the opponent will be a threat because you expose the space behind you, but I think we as defenders exist to deal with those moments. "

For central defenders, there has been this impression historically, they must be tough guys, or even ugly. Ferran Torres said that Eric appears to be the perfect son-in-law, but in fact he is a man who does big things quietly...

"Well, I like to joke in the locker room and spur my teammates on in training. In fact, Ferran is also a 'little bad guy'. Although he doesn't say it, he is the most 'dangerous'. However, I think this good atmosphere is also very important to the team. We have every It's a game in three days. After all, not all players prepare for the game in the same way, some are more relaxed, some are more nervous. Obviously knowing when to joke, when not to be serious, but I think it also helps in the dressing room. "

You talked about Girona before, you are going to play them on Saturday, is it still a special game?

"Yes, I had an incredible time there. We had a historic season and got Girona into the Champions League. I think we had an amazing team and the relationships were very good. Michel helped me a lot in my career. I tell him often and I wish him all the best. "

What did Michel give you?

"Well, that's the trust that I need and every player needs. He also opened the door for me to play on the wing and allow me to play in different positions.. Before that, I was probably a little bit reluctant to step out of my comfort zone, and he kind of 'fooled' me, and one day in Cadiz he said to me, 'You're just going to play here today,' and I ended up playing there the whole season. I ended up believing this, and it worked really well. "

Do you think it is because of him that you can become the main force in Barcelona now?

"A large part of the reason is because of him. I told him at the time. He trusted me when many people may not trust me. He gave me that trust and the opportunity to continue to grow and improve. He is a very strict coach; he will watch you a lot of tape to help you improve, and I think he was very important to me. "

In fact, he admired your game so much that he even tried to get you back twice last year...

"There was a period last year when I didn't play much. Obviously I have the option to go back to Girona and I know Michel is there. Ultimately I think the right decision was made. "

At that time Flick intervened and he said to you: 'You stay'...

"Yes, I think the turning point was the game against Benfica, because the transfer market was still open at the time. That game changed everything. "

How did he convince you?

"Indeed, I got more time in those games. You came on that day against Benfica, scored and the team turned around. It’s those games where you don’t know why but they change your situation and from that point on, I think I took advantage of my opportunity and earned the coach’s trust. "

Maybe Flick tried so hard to keep you because he saw that you can play in any position: centre-back, full-back, midfielder...

"Yes, ultimately I think this is very important for the players. The more positions you can play in, the better. If you're on the bench, you can cover more positions; if you're on the field, you might end up playing other positions later on, which is a good thing, maybe it's unexpected and I hadn't thought about it before, but I think that's an advantage. "

We said before that your body has changed and you have a gym at home. Do you use it as much as Conde?

"I use it quite a lot, which is a bit like what we talked about before. Find the balance between body changes. A person needs both body and wisdom. Obviously I use it, but not just for lifting weights because you can do a thousand different things in the gym. "

source:7m cn vn livescore