26.07.2007 11:30
Sylvinho excited about the new-look Barça
Sandra Sarmiento / Anna Segura
Brazilian wingback Sylvinho, a favourite with British journalists covering the training camp in Saint Andrews due to his time with Arsenal, is looking forward to his fourth season with Barça.
The 33-year-old Sylvinho, or Silvio Mendes Campos to give him his full name, has told Barça TV and
www.fcbarcelona.cat that he’s looking forward to the challenges of his fourth season
defending the Barça colours. He also revealed that he has turned a deaf ear during his summer
vacation to the rumours that claimed he was on his way out of the Club: “I’m relaxed.
I’m doing a good job and my starting point is that if the Club wants me that’s great
but if not I’ll have to look for something else. I’m comfortable and happy to be in
Barcelona another year”.
The arrival of Abidal
The arrival of French international defender Eric Abidal has
increased the level of competition for the left back position though the two players have quite
different styles. Abidal is more defensive while Sylvinho adds more in attack. According to
Sylvinho, Abidal’s arrival is a positive: “Barça gains by this. We carry on winning
because the important thing is the squad not the players. And from here it’s the manager who
has to move the pieces as he wishes”.
Teamwork
It’s precisely at the level of teamwork that Sylvinho believes the key lies to success.
There’ll be a lot of competition for places but he is convinced this is a plus and that
it’s Frank Rijkaard’s job to manage the group: “The best thing that can happen to
Barça is to have a squad of 20 or 22 players with a lot of quality. The players have to accept that
and compete fairly and sincerely. We all want to play but there are times when we have to accept a
place on the subs bench. That helps the team win”.
A positive mood
“The team is young but there are some experienced players and everyone is enthusiastic.
I’m really keen to carry on doing my job and see things go the right way. I judge the season
by the level of enthusiasm and as there’s a lot of enthusiasm I’m happy because people
will do their best”.
A tough season
However, Sylvinho believes it will be a challenging season though he is convinced the team
can aspire to collect some medals if they stay alert all the way to the end: “There are
competitions that will be decided in February or March. It’s a short season packed with
matches and I think Rijkaard will use a lot of players. We have to stay fresh and win every weekend
and in midweek. Barça have a squad to aspire to a great deal but we mustn’t fall into the
trap of saying that we’ll win it all. We have to take it one step at a time”.