Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Piqué was full of praise for his new team-mate: “It’s a delight to watch him play”. He affirmed that Barça start the season as favourites but admitted the players would have to keep their feet on the ground.
After last night’s exciting presentation of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it was no surprise that
Tuesday morning’s press conference was focussed on the Swedish striker. Gerard Piqué
described him as a great player and ideal for Barça: “I consider him as one of the most
complete players around at the moment. He’s physically strong, has great technique and is
very good in the air. It’s a delight to watch him play. I believe he’s a player for
Barça”.
Ibrahimovic meets his team-mates
The Catalan centre back described the first
contact between Ibrahimovic and the rest of the squad this morning: “As is normal, he arrived
with a tremendous desire to meet everyone. It was a brief visit as he had to go to the hospital for
an operation but I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to talk during the tour”.
A difficult player to mark
Drawing on his specialized knowledge as a centre back, Piqué explained that marking a player
like Ibrahimovic is a difficult job: “Players like him are very strong and protect the ball
well”. He went on to say that the task was even harder in Zlatan’s case because of his
great skill.
Favourites with their feet on the ground
Gerard Piqué believes Barça must start as
favourites in the new season as they are reigning champions in all three competitions. However, he
admitted: “Teams such as Real Madrid, who have spent a lot in the transfer market, can also
be considered to be among the favourites. We have to keep our feet on the ground as it will be a
long hard season”.
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Piqué in midfield?
Touré and Keita will have to leave the squad for the African Cup of Nations at the beginning of
2010, leaving the midfield a little bare. Would Piqué be prepared to step into the breach?:
“I played there with Zaragoza and I wouldn’t have any problems in doing it again. I
haven’t played here in that position but that’s a decision for the boss. The truth is,
however, that he knows that my favourite position is at centre back”.