26.04.2007 14:43
“Winning now is more important than ever”
Miriam Nadal
Speaking at Thursday’s press conference, Gianluca Zambrotta told reporters that the players had to approach the final part of the season with the same attitude they showed against Getafe in the Cup and avoid observing the rivals too closely.
The Barça players have to focus on themselves. That’s the conclusion and the advice
that the vastly experienced Italian defender offered to reporters on Thursday.
A competitive league
The Italian defender believes the league title will be a tough prize and certainly more
difficult than last season: “It’s a more balanced league, more difficult, more
spectacular, not only for us, but also for Sevilla, Madrid and Valencia”.
Zambrotta believes the team is looking strong and that any nerves can be explained by the
tightness at the top of the table. However, in his opinion the situation can change at any moment.
Getafe the reference point
One of the ways Barça can stand out from the chasing pack is to adopt the same mentality as
against Getafe. “I believe we are at a decisive moment. We have to continue with the same
mentality as in the Cup match against Getafe, and with the mentality of winning all the
time”. In short: “Winning now is more important than ever”.
In good shape after Egypt
Zambrotta also insisted that the players are in good shape after their trip to Egypt to take
part in the friendly to celebrate the centenary of Al-Ahly: “We had a rest yesterday and
today we trained well”.
Saviola focussed
As for the rumours surrounding Saviola’s future, Zambrotta explained that the
Argentinean striker is looking focussed. A newspaper headline suggesting his destination could be
Real Madrid was described by Zambrotta as “a joke or a lie”. He concluded:
“Saviola is only thinking about doing a good job until the end of the season”.
Experience the key
Gianluca understands perfectly the reaction of manager Frank Rijkaard on Monday after the
defeat against Villarreal: “The boss did his job. He spoke to the team after a defeat and I
think we’re all players that have been through this before in our careers”. The Italian
believes the accumulated experience of many of the players will be vital in the final sprint to the
league and Cup double.