Barcelona on best behaviour, assures Luis Enrique

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique says his players behave well during games amid fears Javier Mascherano could be handed a four-match ban for a foul-mouthed rant at a linesman.

Mascherano was shown a red card in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Eibar for shouting “the c*** of your mother” at the official – Luis Enrique among those to defend the midfielder, stating it carried different connotations in his native Argentina.

However, there are fears Mascherano could recieve a similar punishment to Gerard Pique after the defender was banned for four matches for a similar outburst in the Supercopa de Espana.

A four-game ban for Mascherano would rule him out of El Clasico next month but Luis Enrique stated his desire not to dwell on the issue.

“The ban will be whatever they decide it to be, irrespective of what I think,” he told reporters.

“I’ll just accept the ban. I won’t comment before or after and I won’t dwell on it anymore.

“I spoke with Masche and the whole team. I think there is an improvement in behaviour among the players and I don’t think there is any behaviour different to the normal protests that happen in a match and takes place with all teams.

“My job is to deal with the obstacles that you come across during a campaign and that is what we are doing.”

Along with Mascherano’s possible suspension, Luis Enrique is currently without Lionel Messi, Rafinha, Andres Iniesta and Sergi Roberto due to injuries.