Barcelona hosts Delfin in regular-phase finale of the Liga Ecuabet, with Trobbiani focused on winning rather than talking standings

Nothing is guaranteed yet, and Pablo Trobbiani knows it. Even though Barcelona arrives at the final matchday of the regular phase with a real shot at finishing among the top six, the coach grew tired of repeating the same message beforehand: win first, then talk about everything else.

This Sunday at 6:00 p.m. at the Estadio Monumental, the "Idolo" hosts Delfin in the match that closes out the regular phase of the Liga Ecuabet. And that's the key point: the club hasn't clinched its spot in the hexagonal yet, so the coach's message was blunt and straightforward.

"First we're focused on Delfin. Since we haven't qualified yet, we need to go out and win. After that game we can start thinking about other things," the Spanish coach, who holds Argentine citizenship, explained at a press conference. He added something that sounded like a progress report: "I think we're doing the job well, growing as a team and evolving. We showed that in our last match too."

That last match was the draw against Aucas, a game that left plenty to dissect. Trobbiani didn't dodge self-criticism when asked about Carcelen's goal: "That's a mistake on our part that we take responsibility for, because we like to play out from the back and sometimes our center backs spread out and the opposing midfielder slips into the gap." But he also offered an optimistic take on the second half: "The first half was a tough, even game, but we're on the right track."

A month of intense work

This Sunday also marks exactly one month since Trobbiani took charge at Barcelona, and the coach himself pointed to that as a meaningful detail. "Since we arrived we've had to play what amount to finals, and we've shown that with a significant turnaround. The time we had was very short," he said. According to him, the squad adapted quickly because the players connected with his approach: "If they like the style of play and the methodology, everything flows. Otherwise, it's hard to win them over."

As for the lineup that will take the field, there's good news. Damian Diaz and Dario Benedetto are available and in top condition, the coach confirmed. The only expected absences are Tito and Carabali. The starting eleven isn't set yet: "Tomorrow we'll decide the 11 that will play against Delfin," Trobbiani said, describing a week of training focused on buildup play, pressing and attacking patterns.

He also used the press conference to clear up the episode of his ejection against Independiente del Valle at the Monumental. According to his account, it all stemmed from a complaint to the referee over a foul on Damian Diaz: "A player from Independiente kicked Kitu in the back, and I said: 'Ref, they nearly broke Kitu's spine.' Those were exactly my words, and I got shown a red card."

"That's why you can see in the video that I'm in shock, because I didn't understand it. If something else was heard, maybe someone's words got misinterpreted, or something got lost along the way, but it wasn't me"Pablo Trobbiani

Against that backdrop, Barcelona has much more than three points on the line against Delfin: a direct ticket to the final hexagonal is at stake, something Trobbiani prefers not to take for granted until the final whistle blows.