Ronald Araujo is still taking his time to reflect and climb out of the hole he fell into after his sending off against Chelsea. A turning point where the Uruguayan knew to say "enough" for the sake of his mental health. This Tuesday, Gerard Pique spoke about the situation of his former teammate at FC Barcelona in an interview with 'Sport', where he also recalled his particular case and how he was fortunate enough to cope with that pressure.

"In my time, especially there were some years with the issue of the independence process in which going to the national team, I experienced that and you have to put on armour and there comes a point that is not even healthy, that you don't even care what people say or think, but it is the only way to preserve your mental health and be well emotionally," commented Pique, recalling the jeers he systematically received with Spain despite his commitment never being questioned.

But he understands that not everyone can put on that armour: "Others may find it more difficult or do not want to adopt these measures that I took. In this case, Ronald has raised his hand and said enough is enough and I think the club is doing very well to listen to him, give him the necessary time and I think all football fans in Spain should reflect a little."

"You have to take care of your mental health. It is obvious, not only in the world of football or sport. More and more is being said about the issue and I think it is good that people become aware, but sport has always been slower in all this. I remember the time of racism, the time of violence in the stadiums... At the fan level it is as if in football we are always the last to adapt to the times. It is time for there to be respect towards the professional, it is time for us to stop being a world of free rein and that everyone can do and insult whatever they want," he insisted.

"Barca can't sit back and defend in the area"

Pique also elaborated on the situation at FC Barcelona. This is how he analyses the season and the criticism the team has received: "I think there has been much more noise than what is really happening on the pitch. They are in line with what we saw last year. A very offensive team, taking many risks, but at the same time putting on a great show, which in the end is what people want: scoring many goals and also conceding, as is evident with Flick's approach. I think they are contenders for everything."

Asked about the difficulty of playing with the defensive line that Hansi Flick proposes, this is how he sees it with his experience: "I have been lucky enough to play in big teams all my life, especially many years at Barca, and I think that being a centre-back in a big team is good. You have to know how to live and know how to compete with a line very, very advanced, with many metres behind. You have more risk of being exposed in one play or another, but the merit of putting the line there is enormous, and that has helped the team a lot. A team like Barca, which presses high, to do so, you need the defensive line to accompany you and that it is also very high."

"We have centre-backs to be able to play this style: Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Ronald, Christensen or now Gerard Martin. They have the capacity and characteristics to play like this, but it is very complicated, and you have to be very coordinated. Obviously, you have to be quick, attentive and concentrated with the rivals. Those above have to help you, because if one of those above doesn't press and they threaten you with a ball in behind, then you have to pull back. In the end, in football, no matter how good you are, it is a collective sport in which you depend on your teammates," he explained.

Furthermore, he believes that Flick should not give up on his idea, no matter how much criticism he receives: "I think it is in our DNA and in our genetics. Barca cannot sit back to defend in the area. We wouldn't be ourselves, and I think there would be members who, no matter how much we won, would not be entirely happy. We are what we are and I think we always have to play like this. It is our philosophy and our style."

He asks for more time for Xabi Alonso

Gerard Pique also spoke about the delicate situation of Xabi Alonso: "People expected that with Xabi, Real Madrid would play better and have better results. I think the results are not being bad at all, despite the fact that Real Madrid is demanded a lot, they are still up there. In the Champions League they are doing well, but it is true that in terms of play they depend a lot on Mbappe. I think Xabi still needs more time to implement his ideas."

And this is how he sees the fight for the league title: "It is the typical even league up there between the two big teams. Atletico and Villarreal are also there, trying to get in. Below, perhaps Girona started worse than people expected. They are trying to recover little by little, more by sensations than by results. Of those who should be up there and are not, I see Real Sociedad suffering more, maybe Sevilla, although it was expected that they would suffer. Typical League that I think will be decided at the end."

Ronald Araujo

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