FCBARCELONA.CAT

17.04.2009 15:06

Guardiola: “We cannot prioritise matches.”

Berta Brau

Pep Guardiola reiterated his belief that FC Barcelona’s next match was almost the most important as he looked ahead to the encounter against Getafe at the start of a very busy Schedule for the team.

The coach remained prudent with so many important matches to come and explained that claiming one was more vital tan another was not right. “Now we cannot prioritise competitions or, in fact, prioritise matches,” he said. “The next game is always the most important.”

Three games in a week

At the start of a key week in the league, which will see Barça play Getafe, Sevilla and then Valencia in the space of seven days, the coach wants to win them all to move closer to the title. “We are 18 points away from being the champions,” he continued. “That is six matches and this week we will play half of those. I think that is enough motivation to focus us in these games and no to think any further ahead.”

Getafe first

Guardiola did not have the chance top lay in the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, but he recognized that “it has been very difficult for the team to win there in the past few years because they have had some great players and have been playing well,” the trainer said. “It is a difficult game because they are currently playing to ensure that they stay up.” The Barça boss believes that Getafe’s win at Sevilla last weekend “will have given them confidence and I expect us to see the best that they have with speed on the counter attack”.

Greater advantage

“Nobody here will be thinking that everything has been done and we have already won something, because nothing has been decided,” Guardiola stated. “I would prefer to have a greater advantage over Real Madrid, of course, but we want to maintain our form and keep going until the last match.”

23 players available

Guardiola then expressed his satisfaction at being able to have almost all of his players available at this stage of the season. “When we have no injuries it is always much better,” he explained. Gaby Milito is the only play in the treatment room as he continues his recovery from knee surgery that he had last May. “It is not easy when you are injured for such a long time,” he continued. “We have to give him all our help and try to keep him upbeat because we are looking forward to him coming back.”