Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 8y

Barcelona's Luis Enrique still sees room to improve after rout of Roma

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said he still saw plenty of room for improvement in his side after Tuesday's 6-1 Champions League hammering of Roma at the Camp Nou.

Two goals each from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, plus strikes from defenders Gerard Pique and Adriano were more than enough to see off a Roma side whose goal came when Edin Dzeko headed in right on the final whistle.

The result means the holders Barca have won Group E -- and are sure to be seeded for the last 16 in the new year.

The Catalans also went four points clear atop La Liga last weekend after hammering main title rivals Real Madrid 4-0, but the Blaugrana coach said in his postgame news conference that although the team were playing well at the moment he was sure they could do even better.

"We have played two games at a very high level, and we are obviously in a good moment," Luis Enrique said. "But for sure we can still improve in many things. In a sport as complex as football, where there are so many players, there are always things to improve. We must take advantage of this sweet moment, and stretch it out as long as possible."

A super-confident Barca had the game all but wrapped up before 20 minutes were played, after two sweeping team moves tore the Roma defence apart and left Suarez and Messi with relatively simple finishes.

"Each game is always different," Luis Enrique said. "Today we saw Roma push up their lines today, to press up. And we easily found lines of passing and spaces, above all with players coming from deep. So we had many chances from the start, and went ahead early. It is always difficult to press up, and we are specialists at finding spaces against that."

Messi looked fully fit and buzzing in his first start after two months out with a knee injury, even being booked for a foul on Roma substitute Manuel Iturbe deep in his own half with the game long decided.

"That is the image that we all expected," Luis Enrique said. "We normally see Messi at the other end, but he does what the team needs. We saw Suarez pressing in the 92nd minute, and Neymar working hard too. They do what the team needs. We make the effort which for sure we will need when the key moments of the season arrive."

Suarez now has 10 goals in his last six outings in all competitions, but Luis Enrique highlighted the former Liverpool striker's contagious intensity and fighting spirit.

"Suarez looks like a player who's been here for many years, even though it's not that long," he said. "With his work he transmits so much, he is a magnetic player who transmits an instinct of intensity, at such a high level. Then he has so much footballing talent too. He is such an important player for us."

Luis Enrique admitted he was really enjoying watching his side at the moment, but reminded reporters that there was still a long way to go and many competitions to play in.

"It is a pleasure when you have these players, but there is a long way to go still," he said. "Just a third of the season has been played, there's two thirds still to come. This can turn around very quickly.

"We must be ready to take on whatever is thrown at us. We know that at the end of the year, in December, we will play many games.

"To remain first in La Liga is the objective, to progress in the Copa del Rey, and also the Club World Cup. There is a long way to go, but it looks good at the moment."

Roma boss Rudi Garcia called Barcelona "unbeatable" but maintained that the defeat didn't mean anything as Roma try to advance.

"What can we say? They are a stratospheric side and unbeatable. We needed a miracle and it didn't happen. At this moment they are unplayable," he told Mediaset.

"Barcelona scored some great goals, just look at the third from Luis Suarez, they are full of champions and nobody can stop them at the moment.

"Nothing changes, as we still need to beat BATE Borisov if we want to reach the Round of 16. That's all there is to it. The good news arrived before it even kicked off, as BATE Borisov and Bayer Leverkusen drew 1-1, so it means we have destiny at our feet."

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