06.04.2008 23:59
“We deserved to win”
Vanessa Forns
Frank Rijkaard thinks that the team deserved to get all three points against Getafe. He highlighted the “great attitude” and the “effort” put in by his players throughout the 90 minutes.
FC Barcelona’s Dutch coach claimed that Barça “were better” than Michael
Laudrup’s men, and that therefore “we deserved to win”. Frank Rijkaard pointed
out that his side had “69% ball possession” and in addition to creating a lot of
chances they also hit the woodwork three times. “It’s a pity. The team fought really
hard. It wasn’t our best game but we tried to score during the whole 90 minutes.
Unfortunately the ball just wouldn’t go in.”
“I thought we were a bit nervy”
Rijkaard thinks that if they had scored a goal, the players would have settled down and felt
a lot more confident: “When you score a first goal the game changes and you feel more secure,
but that didn’t happen today. Consequently in the second half I thought the players were
getting a bit nervy about winning the game and making members and fans happy.”
Unity call
After repeating that the team did everything they could to win the game, Frank Rijkaard said
that the players “deserve more respect for what they are trying to do.” He also asked
the fans to get behind the side: “The team needs that support to keep on working and keep
their heads up. We need the help of the fans to support the players who are the heart of Barça and
we need the team and the supporters to be united.” He went on to say that “it’s a
pity and it hurts but we have to keep on working.”
Laporta: “We needed to be more precise”
After the goalless draw with Getafe in the Camp Nou, Joan Laporta noted that Barça hit the woodwork
three times: “We had to win today and we didn’t. We fought, we might have scored, but
we hit the post.” The Barça chairman, who prefers “to dream of winning rather than be
scared of losing” says that “we have to keep on battling away” for a League title
which isn’t over yet as “there are still games and points to be won.”
Disappointment with the draw and thus not cutting the gap with Real Madrid led some sections
of the Camp Nou crowd to whistle and wave white hankies at the end of the game as a mark of their
displeasure. Laporta says that “I understand why members and fans react that way and we have
to respect them. What we need to do is to keep on cheering on the team. It looks like no-one wants
to finish off this League.”