FCBARCELONA.CAT

09.08.2007 14:03

“We have to work in every department”

Miriam Nadal

Defender Gaby Milito has stressed the importance of working as a unit and performing well in every department this season.

The Argentinian has been training with Rafa Márquez and Leo Messi this week, and is starting to settle in at his hew club. Gaby Milito spoke on Thursdays in the Camp Nou press room about his earliest sensations as a Barça player, and how much he is looking forward to meeting the rest of the team on Monday.

“I am really looking forward to training with the rest of the team, and the time is drawing nearer. Next Monday I will join the rest of the group and the nicest part will begin. But we have been working hard this week on our fitness and we will soon be in the same kind of shape as the players that started a little earlier”, said Milito, who sounded enthusiastic about everything he has experienced so far.

Gaby Milito was asked to compare Barça’s progress with that of the other sides in La Liga, but suggested that “we shouldn’t make comparisons at this stage of the season, because that makes no sense, we just have to get ready for the coming season and the many things at stake.” He has been keeping a close eye on what his new colleagues have been doing throughout the pre-season and thinks things “are on the right track.”

Balanced squads

Teams need to find a good balance at this stage of the season, but Milito feels it is just coincidence that so many of the transfer deals this summer have involved centre backs. “I think we have players in every department. It is not easy to get players like Eto’o, Henry, Ronaldinho and Messi, but luckily we have. But everybody has to contribute what they can from their position. We are a team, and for a team to work well, we have to work hard in every department” he said.

Having a strong squad, says Milito, is the key to doing well in the big tournaments. “Barça always has to try to win everything and the Champions League is a highly prestigious tournament, where all the best teams play. We have a very good team and we can do it. But we have to take things in our stride and not jump the gun.”