Enrique: My magic men will put spell on Arsenal

BARCELONA manager Luis Enrique claims Lionel Messi and his compadres are ready to cast a spell over Arsenal’s Champions League ambitions tonight.

Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar have scored 91 goals this season and Enrique said: ‘What do I say to Messi, Suarez and Neymar? Abracadabra! And then the magic sparks. That’s all I say.

‘Honestly, I always work very hard and I’ve always had the luck to have good strikers in my squad. But to be honest, it’s simple. In most situations you don’t even have to wish them to do something — they are already doing it.’

Enrique (below) says Barca intend to pass Arsenal off the park at the Emirates.

‘Barca always have possession of the ball and control the game,’ he said. ‘On paper, this will be one of the most attractive and appealing types of game, especially if you like this kind of football.

‘I have seen Arsenal before this season. They will press high in some moments of the game according to the profile of players they have got. But I hope we can keep possession in their half and put our football into practice.’

Enrique’s comments are a chilling warning to the Gunners as they prepare for the visit of the team Wenger acknowledges are the ‘best in the world’.

Arsenal’s hopes of progressing to the quarterfinals will rely heavily on taming the threat of Barca’s deadly front three.

Messi put Manchester City to the sword last season with two virtuoso performances and Enrique claims the Argentinian, who aims to score his first goal against Petr Cech tonight, is even better this season.

‘ Last season he was unbelievable ( against Manchester City). He did pretty much everything. He scored, he made defensive sacrifices, he assisted at the same level or even better,’ said the Spaniard.

‘My players are capable of bettering themselves constantly. Lionel Messi, whenever he goes back into midfield, becomes the best midfielder. When he plays as a striker, he can be a really good scorer.

‘Now he plays on the wing but has the freedom to create superiority in certain areas of the pitch and he is our leader.’

Enrique has so far resisted the temptation to rotate his front three this season, a decision that has raised eyebrows in Catalonia.

But midfielder Ivan Rakitic believes resting any of them would be easier said than done.

‘We’re really happy to have those three in our squad,’ he said.

‘I wouldn’t say they never rest and play every game, but they don’t like to rest. They are like children playing football.

‘They wouldn’t like it much. It would be like taking the ball away from them. They make us a different team and make us better.’