FCBARCELONA.CAT

24.06.2009 13:25

Pascual: “it’s important to keep to our philosophy”

Xavi Rocamora / Jordi Clos

Regal Barça coach Xavi Pascual is obviously well pleased with the efforts made this season and the results of his team’s hard work and in an interview with Barca TV explained that right now he’s: “looking to make a few little changes to improve".

Coach Pascual defines himself as: “methodical, a stats nut, demanding and hard working”. That’s certainly proved to be a successful mix this season and although he’s still basking in the glory of the team’s ACB League championship win over TAU, he’s also looking to next year, insisting: “rather than talk about names of people coming in, I’d rather concentrate on keeping our philosophy about the game”.

Small changes

According to Pascual: “we’re working hard to build a team for next season. I think we are moving in the right direction. We started this project with a clearly defined way of working and we would be crazy to alter that now. This is a serious project, we may make a few small changes to improve the team, but that’s it”. As to the departure of Barton, Pascual commented: “that’s clearly an important loss for us and we have to find a way to strengthen that position now, but the other changes we are looking at are not that big because most of the squad will be staying on”.

Looking to win more

The coach is also adamant that his team can aspire to more than even this year’s notable successes: “we are FC Barcelona and as such we have to aspire to win every competition we are involved in. We can never go out onto court without being completely sure of success. We are never going to be short of effort, intensity, sacrifice and confidence”.

Confidence and self belief

It’s been the psychological work with the team that’s helped pave the way for their success according to Pascual: “we managed to find our confidence again, as well as our individual and collective self-belief. That’s been vital to our success. I think the squad has shown great maturity this season and have worked very efficiently to achieve what I think is close to their maximum potential”.

Basketball’s Guardiola

One of Pascual’s other secrets is the belief in the work ethic and the attention to detail, which make comparisons to Barca’s other young successful manager Pep Guadiola inevitable. Pascual insists though: “Unlike me, Pep has been a symbol of the club since before he became the boss. What’s more all that we have achieved in our small world is nothing compared to the triple that the football team have won”.