05.04.2008 14:25
“All our remaining games are finals”
Sandra Sarmiento
Frank Rijkaard’s assistant, Johan Neeskens, has said that the final games of the season must all be played as if they were cup finals. “There’s not long to go and we can’t mess up.”
There are eight games left in the league and a seven point difference with Madrid. For the training
staff and players a win against Getafe would keep their hopes alive for the title and keep them in
good shape for the vital game against Schalke on Wednesday. “The game tomorrow is as
important as Wednesday’s”, said Neeskens. “We’ll go out concentrating on
getting the best results. We can’t mess up again and we are dependent on what others do but
the most important thing is to win against Getafe.”
Previous meetings with Getafe
The Madrid side, managed by Michael Laudrup, have proven to be difficult opponents for Barça
over the last couple of years. In fact, they knocked them out of the cup last season and also beat
them 2-0 in the league match earlier this season. “It’s true, we lost but I don’t
want to talk about such things”, said Neeskens. “We have to do everything we can to
beat a very good team.”
Key performance in the Veltins-Arena
This was an important away win without conceding
a goal. For Neeskens the game against Schalke should be used as a reference point for all upcoming
fixtures. “The team played well and we kept a clean sheet. We must continue like this and
when we are winning we have to try to maintain our style of play. We shouldn’t be afraid when
the opposition put us under pressure. We have to play with the qualities we have.”