Luis Enrique: Barcelona managing title tension ‘in the best way possible’

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique believes his side will be deserving winners of a 24th La Liga title if they can beat Granada away on Saturday to stave of a late surge from Real Madrid.

The Catalan club lead Madrid by a point with just one game to play after continuing their return to form with a 5-0 drubbing of Espanyol in the Catalan derby on Sunday.

Luis Suarez scored twice, whilst Lionel Messi, Neymar and Rafinha, with his first goal since returning from a long-term knee injury, were also on target.

One of their title rivals fell by the wayside on Sunday as Atletico Madrid's 2-1 defeat to already-relegated Levante means they can now longer catch Barca.

However, Real registered their 11th consecutive league win, 3-2 over Valencia, to take the title race to the final day of the season.

• Also see: Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar scores as Barcelona stay on title track – in pictures

“These are moments of the highest tension for all the players and all the teams and we are managing it in the best way possible,” said Enrique.

“I think we played a complete match in attack and defence. I don’t remember the opposition having any chances and we had great moments in the match.

“We have to finish it off in Granada and win this league because for the number of weeks we have been top we deserve it.”

Barca have now scored 21 goals without reply in a four-game winning run since they spectacularly lost three league games in a row for the first time in 13 years last month.

Significantly, Granada also ensured they are mathematically safe from relegation with a 4-1 thrashing of 10-man Sevilla on Sunday.

However, Enrique insisted he is not taking anything for granted.

“We know the difficulty that exists. We are a small step closer, but the last game is still to play.

“We believe in how we are playing and I hope we are complete and precise enough to win the league.

“We are going to play for a league of 38 games in one match. There will be tension, Real Madrid and ourselves are in the same situation of playing away from home and having to win.

“The prize is there and it is attractive enough that we will all be very motivated.”

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Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time

Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.

Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.

The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.

The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.

Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.

The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.

• Bloomberg

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