05.01.2008 23:14
Rijkaard: “The team has reacted”
Pere Marcé
Frank Rijkaard has told a press conference how important the three points were against Mallorca and said he was impressed with the way the team bounced back from defeat to Madrid.
The Barça coach highlighted “the good attitude and mentality” of the players against a
side that made things difficult for them. “It was hard to get the ball flowing easily against
a well positioned Mallorca team” said Rijkaard. He was also happy with the way the team
played defensively against a Mallorca side that “plays well at the back and always creates
danger on the counter attack”.
Good result and good football
Eto'o has said this week that results are more important than good football and Rijkaard
pointed out this evening that Barça “always go onto the pitch to play good football, our
football … we have to stick to our philosophy and try to play attractive football, but a
combination of good results and good football is ideal”. He is aware of the importance of the
win in order to stay in the wake of Real Madrid. “At this stage of the season, points are
very important” he observed.
Reaction on the pitch
There has been a despondent mood at the Barça camp ever since the home loss to Madrid, but
this evening Rijkaard felt “the team reacted well to the criticism. The group worked hard and
although it was a complicated game, they got the win”.
Second half changes
Frank Rijkaard explained why he brought on Bojan for the midfielder Gudjohnsen, moving
Iniesta into the Icelander’s place. “We brought on a forward to give us more depth and
opted to play Iniesta in midfield”. The manager seemed to think this generated the right
dynamic and was one of the main reasons for the win.
Pleased to welcome back Henry
Although he was named in the squad to play Madrid, Henry did not come on, but did this
evening as a replacement for Giovani. Rijkaard was impressed with what he saw and said “we
hope he can forget his injury because we need all the players and Henry also means a lot to us
… Henry scored a disallowed goal and was also involved in the build up to the Eto’o
goal”.