12.08.2008 20:11
Guardiola ready for the challenge
David Puig
Josep Guardiola knows it won’t be easy for Barça to beat Wisla, and is calling on the fans to give the team the support they deserve on Wednesday night.
Beating Wisla is no easy matter. FC Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola told his pre-match press
conference that he has noted some strong elements in the Polish champions. He has studied the rival
in depth and knows all about their strong points. “I have seen enough videos and studied
reports and can tell you Wisla is a team that plays very good football, they know what they have to
do and are well organised. I am worried because they aren’t that well known but I know enough
to be sure that we have a very tough series of games ahead of us”.
Main men at Wisla
Without wanting to give away too much about his analysis of Wisla, Guardiola
mentioned some of the players that need to be checked. “I have seen quality in their team,
with men like the striker Pawel Brozek, and his twin brother Piotr. They have a strong midfield
with players like Cantoro and Sobolewski and the two left-footed centre backs. They are a good team
and we’ll need to run and play a lot to beat them”.
Help of the fans
Guardiola knows that as there is so much at stake, fans will
go out of their way to be there in the stadium to give the team the support they need. “I
hope they come to cheer us on, if they are on holiday near to Barcelona they can still come back to
the Camp Nou for the game, it’s not far by car. They can stay here for supper, and watch the
game. There are great reasons for coming to the ground. We will be doing all we can to ensure that
everybody enjoys themselves” said Guardiola
Special game
It will mark Guardiola’s debut at the Camp Nou as a manager, and asked how he feels, he
said “I’m a bit fidgety, especially because it’s such an important game. I will
have some strong feelings tomorrow. I just want the game to start because of what it means for the
club to qualify for the Champions League”.