Last Saturday he was given the green light from Club doctors to return to action after a month and a half injury layoff. Three days later he played the 90 minutes of the CL match against Bayern Munich. A great way to build confidence.
Eric Abidal had to wait a full 52 days to play that game in the Allianz Arena (1-1). Previously he
had been named as a sub against Recreativo de Huelva and Josep Guardiola believed that the match
against Bayern Munich, with a 4-0 advantage from the first leg, was the ideal opportunity for the
French international to ease himself back.
Cautious
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Eric Abidal revealed that he
is feeling good “but a little afraid of picking up another injury”. However, he
believes this will be temporary and that “slowly and taking things easy” he will play
“again with confidence”.
Friendship with Ribéry
Another plus for Abidal in Munich was the chance to meet up with Franck Ribéry, a friend and
team-mate from the France international team. Asked by reporters about a possible move for Ribéry
to FC Barcelona, Abidal was uncommitted: “He’s someone I know well but I don’t
know what he wants to do next year. We talked about non-sporting matters”.
Ribéry could fit in
However, Abidal admitted that he would like to see Ribéry at Barça:
“It would be good if he could come here. I believe he could adapt. He’s got quality and
he saw that against Barça it was difficult to have the ball, and what he likes is to have
it”.
Objective: the league
Rather than focus on the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, Abidal believes
it’s necessary to concentrate on “three very important league matches (and) keep
building on the run of good results”. In particular he is determined to get a good result
against Getafe, something he is convinced will be important in the hunt for the league title.
To view this content you need the latest version of the Flash Player
Duel with the Premier League
If Barça is to lift the Champions League Trophy, the players will have to beat two Premier League
teams: first Chelsea and then either Manchester United or Arsenal in the final. Asked about the
differences between the Spanish and English leagues, Abidal told us: “It’s very hard
and very strong while La Liga is more tactical and technical”. Finally, he warned;
“They’ll be very difficult matches”.