25.10.2007 11:01
Touré: “I’m really keen to get back soon”
Berta Brau
The Ivory Coast midfielder is in the final stages of his recovery from the muscle injury that has sideline him for the past few weeks. He assured us: “It would be good to make my reappearance against Almería”.
Almost four weeks after he was injured in the away match against Levante, Touré Yaya can see the
light at the end of the tunnel. He’s itching to get back to the action and he has been
following the team very closely while he’s been out. Now that’s he’s nearly ready
to return, he reveals in this interview: “I wouldn’t like to be in the trainer’s
shoes, with so many top class players”.
How are you feeling?
"I feel great. I’m really keen to play again as soon as possible".
What stage are you at in your recovery?
"It’s true I’ve made a quick recovery but when you’re keen to return you
can overcome many things".
When do you think you can play again?
"I’m really keen to play as soon as possible. I think it wouldn’t be bad to play
this Sunday. I think that this Thursday or Friday I’ll get the green light from the doctor to
play".
Are you ready?
"When people ask me this I always say I’m ready. I believe the important thing is to
give your best".
And what about Barça?
"At the moment we’re playing a lot of games one after
the other and physically that’s complicated. I sympathise with my teammates called up by the
national teams. With the travelling and the matches it’s physically difficult but I think
that with the players we’ve got, there’s a serious and professional group that can
achieve everything".
Are you happy here?
"Yes, very happy. I’ve been received very well. Everything’s gone marvellously
and I believe it will continue that way".
What do you think of the team in the last few weeks?
"They look good. The players are tired and you could see that in the match against
Villarreal. A lot of the players had just come back after playing with the national sides and we
had to play against a good team. I believe you can’t always be at the same level but I think
it’s only a question of tiredness. Apart from that, I think my teammates area doing a good
job".
You bring a lot of balance to the team. Do you think that balance has been maintained in
your absence?
"There are two players per position. This year’s Barça is at an international level
and, for example, there are Márquez and Iniesta to cover my position. Iniesta, a player I value
very highly, has done a very good job. There are also Xavi and Deco. But at that moment it was
physically difficult because they’d all come back from playing international matches".
What’s your analysis of the last two matches?
"Villarreal are a good team. They had the advantage of not
having too many players away on international duty and so were able to prepare the game whereas FC
Barcelona had the majority of our players with the national squads and that definitely had an
influence. The match against Rangers was very difficult because they closed down at the back. But
looking ahead I think there’ll be more freshness in our play in the game against Almería and
we’ll regain our confidence".