FCBARCELONA.CAT

12.01.2010 20:33

Guardiola: “We’ll give it our best effort”

Jesús Carrillo

Josep Guardiola told reporters on Tuesday evening that his players were determined to win in Seville: “We’ll give it our best effort in Seville. We want to go through to the quarterfinals”.

Guardiola spoke to the press after training on Tuesday, the final session before Wednesday’s vital game in the Sánchez Pizjuán. “We have to score two goals but it doesn’t matter whether we score them in the first or second half. If Sevilla score, nothing changes – we’ll have to score two goals anyway”.

No time wasting

He does not believe that either team will try and waste time if the score line is in their favour: “I don’t think Sevilla will sit back and wait for us to attack. They’ll press us as we bring the ball out from defence and they’ll look to get behind our defenders. I’ve told my players not to rush things. 90 minutes is a long time. We have to attack well, protect ourselves in defence and play well to beat them. That’s the only way we’ll have our chances to qualify for the quarterfinals”.

The view from Sevilla

Guardiola denied that the recent run of poor results and the delicate situation of Sevilla manager Manolo Jiménez will influence the game: “I don’t know how the Sevilla fans will react. I’m convinced they’ll fill the stadium and they’ll cheer them on for the whole match. Sevilla is a big team, with a great squad, and in my opinion they’re very well managed”.

First leg deficit

This is the first time since he’s been in charge of the first team that Guardiola has gone into the second leg of a tie trailing from the first leg: “We have to know how to play the match. We have to keep our positions and not let them disorganize us. It’s our turn to experience something unknown to me as a trainer but which I experienced many times as a player”.

Statistics

So far, Guardiola has won every competition since he took over: “Sooner or later that will end. Nor we nor any team can sustain that rhythm. It’s impossible and it’s inevitable. But we’ll do what it takes for that not to happen [on Wednesday]. We want to go through and we’re going to Seville to win the right to be in the quarterfinals of the Cup”.