Pau Cubarsí analyzes Barça's options in the Champions: "We have a better path, but..."

Pau Cubarsí has been the player chosen by FC Barcelona to appear at the press conference prior to the match against SL Benfica, corresponding to the first leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25. The young defender had his first encounter with the media as a player of the azulgrana team, taking the opportunity to address various topics.

The current situation of FC Barcelona in the Champions League

Among the issues discussed, the '2' culé highlighted the importance of the idea of winning a Champions League while wearing the FC Barcelona jersey, one of the greatest desires of his budding football career. "As a kid, being a culé, I always dreamed of debuting, winning as many titles as possible, as a culé. It is one of the goals I want to achieve, but we have to live in the moment. If we get past Benfica, there may be options," he commented.

Furthermore, when talking about his performance in the UEFA Champions League, Pau Cubarsí recalled his stellar debut in the tournament, which took place almost a year earlier, on March 12, 2024, and how he has progressed since that memorable day. "Since my debut, things have gone as I expected, a great night for my family. I have improved in several aspects, I was just starting, I didn't know what the matches were like. Now I know I have to give 100%, I have to be focused for 90 minutes. The positive side," he emphasized.

"If we get past Benfica, there may be options"

Additionally, he dismissed the idea that FC Barcelona has an easy path in the Champions League, as previously mentioned. However, the culés are clearly hopeful of excelling in all possible competitions. "Every year is a year that the best club in the world, Barça, must compete for everything. This year we have a better path, but I wouldn't say it like that. Every match is a world, all can become complicated. We must take it one match at a time and try to win them all," he acknowledged.

"This year we have a better path, but I wouldn't say it like that. Every match is a world, all can become complicated"

Sharing defense with Iñigo Martínez, Araujo, and Eric García

In another area, the Catalan defender also spoke about several of his teammates, starting with his experience alongside a veteran defender like Iñigo Martínez. Despite this, he acknowledged how comfortable he feels playing with other teammates in defense. "Yes, I have shared almost the entire season with Iñigo. But with Ronald and Eric, I feel comfortable with everyone. It is a very competitive position, and we are giving our best," he noted.

Moreover, he commented that, regardless of which defenders make up the back four proposed by Hansi Flick, the ideal playing style will probably not change, given that the team is well integrated among all the culé assets. "The offside line doesn't change, all of us have a clear mandate, what we need to do, we help each other. We are focused," he confessed.

"With Ronald and Eric, I feel comfortable with everyone"

Praise for La Masia

From another perspective, Pau Cubarsí has taken pride in La Masia and highlighted how this institution is fundamental for the sporting present of FC Barcelona. "Sharing a locker room with La Masia players makes everything easier. There is a mix of experience and youth that makes us do something magnificent. That Barça supports La Masia is a pride," he indicated.

"There is a mix of experience and youth that makes us do something magnificent"

Specifically, he mentioned how the culé academy serves as an excellent source of learning for defenders like himself, in terms of technique. "La Masia is the training school, where schools and footballers are formed. Carles and Gerard came from there. They give us many opportunities. Feeling the colors from a young age, the dream of any child. That helps to push us forward," he stated.

The match against SL Benfica

In another aspect, the Estanyol analyzed Benfica and spoke about what he expects from the team. "Playing in this field is very complicated, we saw it in the preliminary phase. They played a great match, and we need to be aware of what they can do, stay on top of them so they don't create chances," he pointed out.

He also recalled the comeback in the last match against the Lisbon team in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25, a tight 4-5 in matchday seven of the group stage, played at the Estádio da Luz. "The match we played here was a complicated match, we were losing 3-1 at halftime. They had a great first half, we didn't come out as we should have. We managed to turn it around, but we need to be focused for 90 minutes", he pointed out.

Pau also exalted the danger in the offensive front of the rival, mentioning a specific name in the attack of SL Benfica: Vangelis Pavlidis. The Greek scored a hat-trick in the aforementioned previous encounter between both teams. "He is a player from Benfica, good, with quality, he is playing Champions and is a starter. We need to keep him in mind, he can cause damage at any moment. Both he and the rest of the players," he emphasized.

Finally, Cubarsí recalled the match against Atlético de Madrid in the first leg of the 'semis' of the Copa del Rey 2024-25, emphasizing the importance of knowing how to manage results to avoid comebacks like the one suffered against the 'colchoneros'. "You have to know how to play the matches. We were unlucky against Atlético to concede those two goals, but whenever there is a return match, you have to go all out in both matches. Tomorrow and next week," he concluded.