Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino has come out and stated that opinions of him will not be positive no matter the outcome of Wednesday's Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid. The Argentine boss claims that even at his appointment, there were many speculating that he wouldn't last past Christmas, and triumphing over La Liga's second-placed team in the Mestalla will not change people's minds about him.
The Blaugrana manager has seen his side fall to disappointing results both on domestic and European fronts as defeats to Atletico Madrid and Granada have seen the Catalan side drop out of the Champions League, and slip to third spot in the La Liga. Nevertheless, Martino's men have an appointment with El Clasico rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, which could see Martino's third win out of three El Clasico games, but he still believes a win will not reflect positively on him.
When asked about a possible exit, Martino said: “It doesn't concern me. I understand that it's logical. Last year there were already people saying that I wouldn't be eating Christmas pudding in Barcelona, and now I'm looking forward to a nice Easter egg. Whatever the outcome tomorrow, opinions of my overall performance will not be positive. That's the price you pay for being here.”
On Messi and the contribution he brings, Martino said: "he's already carrying huge expectations on his shoulders, and he keeps meeting them year after year. It's very difficult. You need to be very strong mentally, and very honest, to keep improving year on year."
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