FCBARCELONA.CAT

28.07.2007 20:29

"The team played well as a unit"

Roger Bogunyà

Frank Rijkaard was impressed with his players after their victory against hearts on Saturday as he explained that "the team has played well as a unit".

The Dutchman was eager to put the collective performance over any individual displays and was positive following the 3-1 victory at Murrayfield, which came two days after the win over Dundee United. With pre-season now well under way, Rijkaard also stated that he was pleased with the way things are going. "The team made a good impression and is continuing to improve," he said.

Henry improving

Thierry Henry has impressed his new coach as Rijkaard stated that the Frenchman "is improving". "That is normal as he has not missed any of the training sessions. He will become ever stronger, as will all the players."

Praise for Bojan and Giovani

The Barça boss was also keen to talk about two of the young stars that shone in Scotland as he reflected on the performances of Bojan Krkic and Giovani Dos Santos. "They are training with the team and are now a part of the squad," he explained, before singling out Krkic by adding that "he is a real talent and has a great future ahead of him".

Back to Scotland

Asked about the squad's week-long stay in Scotland, Rijkaard stated: "The stay here has been very good and if anything was wrong I would have said so. The knows that we have worked well here and we will see what happens, but if it were up to me we would come back."

Good preparation

Coach Paco Seirul•lo told www.fcbarcelona.cat that the first week of pre-season training was the most important for the players to be ready for the new season. On that thought, Rijkaard added: "On the whole, we have worked well and everything has been great."