23.02.2008 15:05
Sandra Sarmiento
Rijkaard asserted that in Glasgow Barça played “their best collective effort” but he doesn’t want his players to relax against Levante: “We have to come on in the right mindset”.
After a good two-month run, Barça are transmitting hope. Their display against Glasgow Celtic
means we can face the decisive coming months with optimism. Yet Rijkaard doesn’t want to get
too confident. “We have to make the most of the moment. We have to keep on. People
shouldn’t take us for granted. But we have to come on against Levante in the right mindset.
It’s great to receive praise, but it was just one game”.
The Celtic game
Barça recovered their playing style on their return to European football last Wednesday. They returned to their roots. “The team played well and won. We want to play good attractive football and do the job well. It was their best collective effort. They showed courage”.
Deco and Henry rested
The Levante game is the start to what will be an emotional week, with a visit to Vicente
Calderón in midweek in the King’s Cup semi-final first leg. Because of this, and the upcoming
fixtures, Rijkaard has decided to rest Henry, who’s played in the last 11 games, as well as
Deco. “It’s a good moment to value things. We’ve got a full calendar of games
coming up, some difficult teams. At least for the first time in a while I’ve got 20 players
to choose from”.
A good moment for Ronaldinho
Rijkaard expressed his satisfaction with Ronaldinho’s performance at Celtic Park, and also said that his presence was important for team spirit. “He’s worked hard. The team played well in Glasgow, and so did he. He’s still got a lot to give”.
The situation in the league
Barça change the Champions League stage for the domestic one. They are only 5 points behind the leader and they have to focus on getting the maximum points possible. And then wait. “Madrid are top because they have played better so far. But we’re not giving in. We’re prepared to fight in any competition. The main thing is that we keep on winning our games. There’s no use always looking at what the other team is doing”.
The Levante game
Bottom placed Levante are Barça’s league opponents on Sunday. Paradoxically, their grave
economic crisis has coincided with their being the fifth best team of the second half of the
league, with 9 points from a possible 16. Rijkaard expressed his solidarity with the Levante
players: “I hope they can sort things out for the players and the employees. When these
things happen, it can bring the players closer. It could cause then to react on the pitch.
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