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02.05.2009 23:09
Guardiola: “We have made a lot of people very happy”
Vanessa Forns
Clearly emotional, Guardiola said he was particularly happy that the win at the Bernabéu “has made a lot of people very happy”.
“I’m very happy. This is one of the happiest days of my life. To come here and play as good a game as we did is not easy. I’m thrilled to know that we have made so many people happy tonight. I am immensely happy”. The Barça coach was just as thrilled that the win at the Bernabéu has left the league in an extremely positive situation for Barcelona’s interest.
Satisfied with players’ bravery
Josep Guardiola wished to outline, above all, the bravery
his players had shown. “At the Bernabéu, the only thing you can do is be brave. I am
delighted that they were brave. After going 1-0 down, we took the ball and created chances. We had
the opportunity to take a massive step forward, but it is never easy to win here. But as we have
done all season, we stayed faithful to our idea of going out to win games. I admire my players for
their bravery, for their tension and for their concentration”.
”It’s not far away now”
He also noted that Juande Ramos’ side “never let their heads drop”, and that Barça were fortunate “to score the fourth goal so quickly … I have to congratulate Madrid. Here we have taken a massive step towards becoming champions, but it is only the grandeur of a team like Real Madrid that has prevented us from being champions much earlier … the chance to end the season well is not far away now. We can’t settle for this, because we are so close now”.
Praise for Madrid
On tonight’s opposition, Guardiola said “they have many virtues. They are a team that can kill you off if you attack them. They can destroy you if you attack and lose the ball. We spoke before the game about being careful going forward. That’s the way Madrid play; they hit you when you make mistakes. I can’t deny that I’m delighted that our way of playing football worked at this ground”.
Tactical change for Messi and Eto'o
The Barça manager also explained “the little idea of putting Messi at centre forward and moving Eto'o out to the right. We’d watched the first game we played and noticed that players like Lass and Gago followed Xavi a lot, and I wanted Messi to make the most of this by playing in the middle. And if that dragged the centre backs out of their area, then Henry and Eto'o had to take advantage. They are the players that make everything work. They make it all so much easier. Players like Messi, Xavi and Iniesta give you a good idea of what you can do”.
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“We will go to London and qualify for the final”
Turning to the decisive Champions League semi final on Wednesday away to Chelsea, Guardiola said
Saturday’s win at the Bernabéu “will do the squad a lot of good”. As they have
done all season, they will be looking for the win at Stamford Bridge. “We will go to win, to
attack, and to qualify for the final in Rome. Chelsea know that”.
Asked if the players are starting to feel the effects of such a strenuous schedule, Guardiola has no doubts about saying “when a player is so close to Rome, there is no such thing as tiredness”.
Meanwhile, at one point of the game, Henry hurt his right knee, and Piqué his gluteus. But neither of the injuries seem to be anything to worry too much about.
Asked if the players are starting to feel the effects of such a strenuous schedule, Guardiola has no doubts about saying “when a player is so close to Rome, there is no such thing as tiredness”.
Meanwhile, at one point of the game, Henry hurt his right knee, and Piqué his gluteus. But neither of the injuries seem to be anything to worry too much about.
