Rodri says Barcelona can win the Champions League but are not favourites

Rodri believes Barcelona can win the Champions League this season, but says the club must improve in key areas before they can be considered favourites for the trophy.

The Spain midfielder, whose comments were published in extracts by Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, said winning Europe’s premier club competition was a realistic objective for his side.

“The Champions League is possible, but I do not think we are the favourites,” Rodri said.

Barcelona have not won the competition for 12 years and regard it as their main target this season. Rodri said the club had the quality to challenge for a return to the top of European football, but stressed that progress would depend on correcting the mistakes that have cost them in the past.

“Yes, I clearly see it as a possible title,” he said. “It is, so to speak, the step we still need to take to establish ourselves and show Europe the kind of team we represent.

“From that point of view, I do not think we are the favourites. We have to understand where we have come from and what is required to become champions. This team still needs to correct several things before it can become a champion.”

Rodri, who previously played for Manchester City and was once a target for Real Madrid when Jose Mourinho was in charge, said players such as himself had joined Barcelona partly to help the club make that final improvement.

“Players like me came here partly for that reason: to develop and give the team a part that I believe is important for winning very special titles such as the Champions League,” he said.

“I do not think the Champions League is a competition won by the best team. It is about moments and understanding what those moments require. That may be the area in which this team can still improve.

“If you ask me whether we have a chance, that is precisely why I came here.”

Learning from decisive moments

Asked which tactical details Barcelona needed to address, Rodri was reminded of recent examples in which small incidents had influenced their European campaigns.

The question referred to Barcelona having a defender sent off in both legs against Atletico Madrid, as well as taking the lead away to Inter Milan before their opponents recovered. Barcelona scored six goals across the two matches against Inter, but conceded seven.

Rodri said those situations demonstrated the importance of managing crucial moments in knockout ties.

“You have said it yourself,” he replied. “It is exactly what you are describing: controlling those decisive moments when the important knockout matches arrive.

“Red cards, penalties and perhaps conceding more goals than we should are all factors that determine whether you qualify or not. So perhaps it is better not to be exceptionally good in attack, but to be more consistent and more solid.

“The teams that managed to win proved that to you. That is the area where we can improve, and I am certain of it.”

Rodri added that experience was also essential, arguing that success in the Champions League was built on setbacks and lessons learned over time.

“I have always said that before you win, you have to lose and you have to learn,” he said. “Those who managed to win important things know that.

“I played in the Champions League I do not know how many times before we managed to win it, so I understand that experience brings learning. Players learn year after year.”