Luis Enrique wants his Barcelona players to focus on themselves and ignore how their title rivals are doing.
Barca have won their last five games in all competitions and that, coupled with Real Madrid's recent slump in results, has led to renewed optimism at Camp Nou. But Luis Enrique says it's important not to get distracted by how Madrid and Sevilla -- who both begin the weekend ahead of Barca in the table -- fare.
"It doesn't make any sense to focus on other teams if you don't win your own games," the Blaugrana coach said in a news conference ahead of Sunday's trip to Real Betis. "We play first [this weekend], so we will focus on our game and try to play well. That's enough to worry about without focusing on other games.
"I've said before that we were looking for a winning run and that's what we've got right now.
"We're still only halfway through league, though, so I wouldn't say our upcoming games are especially decisive. Everyone will drop points, so let's see how many each team drop and how competitive we can be."
Barca could temporarily move top with a win at Betis and Luis Enrique added that it was "amazing" how the media have changed their opinion on the Catalan side's chances of success this season.
"A few weeks ago it was a disaster," he said in reference to the reaction to the loss at Athletic Bilbao and the draw against Villarreal. "Now it's the opposite. But we manage to keep level heads, which is the most important thing."
Midfielders Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Rafinha are all still injured and will miss the game in Seville, but it's not injuries which worry Luis Enrique.
Instead, the Barca boss is concerned about the number of booking his players are picking up for remonstrating with referees.
"Yes, that's something which worries me," he conceded. "It's something which is hard to change, but I am trying to -- not just this season, but for quite some time.
"The players need to control their emotions on the pitch. They're picked because of their tactical level, their skill... but they also need to control that aspect of game.
"It's not easy, maybe I'm not the best example because [of] when I was a player... But I try to get the players to help the referee and not lose their emotions because it can affect their performances."