Barcelona star sidesteps Mourinho controversy and comments on the six-point gap

Barcelona star Eric Garcia sidestepped the question, refusing to weigh in on the refereeing controversy involving Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho.

Speaking to Sport newspaper while on Spain duty, Garcia was quizzed about the La Liga refereeing row and its links to Real Madrid. He replied: "I prefer not to give my opinion on that."

He continued: "I believe that all referees in the world try to give their best and try not to make mistakes. And in the end, during a match, you as a player also try to give your best, and sometimes you make mistakes. We are human, and so error is part of football."

Flick's message runs through everything, the defender explained. "Our coach Hansi Flick always insists heavily that we focus on ourselves, and that we not get into the subject of referees, who, as I said, try to give their best, and sometimes mistakes happen, as happens all the time in life."

Turning to the club's European ambitions, he said: "We are still at the start of the season, and everything can change very quickly, but we are moving in good dynamics and we have a fantastic group, and we are proving it, and we must keep working. Because the Champions League will be difficult, but we certainly have a great desire to win it."

Rodri's signing has made all the difference, he added. "I believe that thanks to the squad, the players, the quality and the ambition, I believe Barcelona will certainly be in the leading positions in the Champions League. We have become more mature, and the arrival of Rodri has helped us with balance."

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Yamal must win the Ballon d'Or
On Lamine Yamal's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or, he stated: "I will vote for him, and for every Spanish player too. I think any of them deserves it, but I believe Lamine Yamal should win it."
Eric said: "There are many Spanish players who could win it, but for me personally, I think Lamine should win it. However, I am also happy to have other team-mates among the list of nominees, especially Cubarsi, because he is a defender, and sometimes defenders are forgotten, and I think he deserves it too."
He added: "With Christensen's injury, are you also ready to return to playing at centre-back if required? Yes, I am ready for anything asked of me. I think one of my strengths is my ability to adapt to different positions."
He continued: "Of course, centre-back is my natural position, the one I have always played in, so if I have to play there in one of the matches, I will certainly do it."

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Karim Adeyemi a "rocket"
He added: "They say Barcelona suffer more on the flanks, especially the left side, do you agree with that? No, I think we have players at a good level, and we don't suffer there."
On facing Adeyemi, he noted: "Is it difficult to beat Adeyemi in a sprint? Yes, in truth he is a rocket."
He remarked: "How do you see La Liga after moving 6 points ahead of Real Madrid? We all know that football and the league in this situation can change a lot. We are enjoying good momentum, but last year, when we lost the Clasico at the Bernabeu, the gap became 7 points, and it seemed as if everything was over."
Wrapping up, he said: "Now that we are six points ahead, we are still at the start of the season, and we must continue in the same way, and after that we will see what happens."