17.01.2009 22:58
Guardiola: “I’m comforted by the players’ spirit and talent”
Vanessa Forns
Josep Guardiola was highly satisfied with Saturday’s win over Deportivo and said it all came down to “the players’ spirit and talent”.
The Barça coach could only find positive words to say about the performance tonight against
Lotina’s side, saying the “players’ spirit and talent” were decisive
elements. But he is still calling for prudence and pointed out that “we aren’t
champions of anything yet” and the important thing is “to maintain this tone and
dynamic”.
Records only count at end of season
Tonight’s win means FC Barcelona have broken the record for points in the first half of
a Liga season, but for Josep Guardiola that record “will only be remarkable if we end up as
champions … there are 19 games to go, in other words 57 points”.
Positive views of first half of season
But after such a positive start to the league, it was hard for the coach not to feel pleased
with the way things have gone. “We have collected a lot of points and scored a lot of goals.
I celebrate the fact that the fans have enjoyed these games so much. They will remember this
forever if we win the league, but if we don’t it’ll just be an anecdote. There is no
time to stop. We have to continue. There will be time later for more extensive evaluations.”
Deportivo quality
Asked for a few words about Deportivo, Josep Guardiola said he knew they were up against
“a very well ordered team with top level players … we had studied this game in
depth”, and went on to explain how the players had attacked precisely as he had ordered them.
Big demands
Despite the relatively easy win and exceptional football displayed, Guardiola, still felt
that what he saw tonight “was far from perfect, there are still things we aren’t doing
well. I got a good feeling, but there are always errors that need analysing and correcting”.
Laporta: “It was a real show”
Thrilled by the win against Deportivo, Joan Laporta described Saturday night’s game at the
Camp Nou as “a real show … Today we have seen one of those games where from the first
goal everything was highly intense. They scored five goals. And I should also highlight the
sporting attitude that this team has.” Laporta also said that each and every member of Pep
Guardiola’s side was “technically very tight” and that “we should enjoy
these moments and think that we have to continue this way, advancing on a game by game
basis”.
FC Barcelona have set a new record for points in the first half of a Liga season and on that
the Barcelona president said “it shows we are doing things right. But the real evaluations
come at the end of the season”.
The Camp Nou had a reasonably good turnout of 65,145 people for tonight’s game. Joan
Laporta also pointed out that “we don’t count children aged up to seven years”
and that that is an important consideration to bear in mind. “When the game kicks off at the
right time, parents like to bring their children” he observed.