<
>

Gerard Pique: Barcelona matches must be a 'spectacle,' not boring 1-0 wins

Gerard Pique says Barcelona will never settle for boring, defensive football and one-goal wins.

Barca missed out on La Liga to Real Madrid last season and have been knocked out at the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League two years running.

However, Pique, 30, does not think that lack of success at the Camp Nou should signal a change of style on the pitch.

"Our philosophy is not just to win," he said at the presentation of Rakuten as the club's new sponsor at an event in Japan.

"At this club it is important to win and play well and we have the players to achieve that. [Our matches] must be a spectacle; our fans go to the stadium to enjoy themselves, not to win 1-0 by playing so defensively that it bores the goats.

"It's not just about playing but also having a good time as you play. It's not just about working but also having fun as you do it."

Barca begin the new season under new leadership, with Ernesto Valverde appointed as Luis Enrique's successor this summer.

Pique backs the former Athletic Bilbao boss to do well, referencing his impressive work throughout his career and the years he spent as a player at Barcelona, under Johan Cruyff between 1988 and 1990.

Lionel Messi, who was also at the event in Tokyo, added that he is looking forward to getting started under Valverde as he targets winning another Treble.

"The objectives are always the same when we start the season at Barca: to try to win everything that we're playing in and I hope we can do that this year," Messi, who last week agreed a new contract with the club, said. "Personally I am really looking forward to getting back, starting work, meeting the new manager and his staff and enjoying another year with the club.

"We're all starting from zero again, with a new coach whose way of working we don't yet know, but we do know that he's a great manager because of what he's done with his other teams. He did well in Valencia and then with Athletic. I'm really looking to getting back to training, just like every year, and giving my all."