Maxwell: “We need to get 12 points before Arsenal come”

Maxwell feels thoughts of the Champions League should be set aside as they return to their league schedule. Athletic Bilbao is the pressing issue, where they have to make sure they don’t repeat the mistakes they made against Arsenal.

Afellay adapting

Maxwell has been impressed with the way Ibrahim Afellay is settling in, saying “he’s from the Dutch school, which I know well, and that’s why he’s so suitable for Barça. He’s skilful, fast and can play in different positions. He’s fitting in well and looks dedicated, happy and motivated”.

It’s time to refocus on the domestic championship after the 2-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, and Maxwell’s only concern is the forthcoming clash with Athletic Bilbao. “We have to get the three points and forget about what happened in Gijón and London” he said. “Before we play Arsenal we have 12 points to play for in the league and we want to get them, starting on Sunday”. 
Learning from defeat 
Still upset about Wednesday night’s result, Maxwell feels all they can do is think about the positives. He believes “conclusions can be drawn from that defeat. We have to look at the mistakes we made as we prepare for our next games. Football gives you a chance to make up for things every three days, and that’s what we’ll be trying to do on Sunday”. 

Asked what it was like to mark the speedy Walcott, Maxwell said “personally, I was pleased because I had a very tough opponent against me and so I played as intensely as I could. But I know that I made mistakes and I’ll try to correct them for the good of the team”. 

Familiar foes 
A thletic Bilbao are about to provide the opposition for Barça for the fourth time this season, and when they last met at the Camp Nou, the Basques managed a 0-0 draw in the cup first leg. “I’m expecting the same kind of Athletic as in that match. Teams play the same way whatever competition they are playing in. If we want to win we’ll need plenty of intensity, we’ll need to keep possession of the ball and we’ll need to stop their counter attacks”, said Maxwell. 

Caparrós’ side were especially strong in the air against Barcelona, and Maxwell knows that. “We must avoid corners and free kicks. They’re very strong and work hard on plays like those. We’ll have to be careful”.