FCBARCELONA.CAT

31.12.2009 13:39

Playing style above results

Pau Ramírez

Ex Barça man Ernesto Valverde will be the first visiting coach at the Camp Nou in 2010. He knows it won’t be easy to end the Catalans’ unbeaten record, but doesn’t think a surprise is totally out of the question.

“We know Barça are missing important players, like Iniesta, Keita, Touré Yaya and probably Messi, but regardless of that, this is a good moment for us. These will be three very important points because we want to get out of a tight sport and consolidate our place in the top part of the table. It is going to be hard but also attractive and we’ll try to play well” said Valverde in an interview with BarçaTV.

“People marvel at Barça and rightly so”

Vila-real are the first side to face Barça after they clinched their sixth title of the year. “You are always motivated to play against this Barça, and not because of the six titles. There would be no less motivation if they had won fewer. It’s the same team, one the world marvels at, and with good reason. We have the chance to be the first team to beat them in the league. They have just won the Clubs World Cup, but rather than mean they will be over-relaxed, they will be extra confident”.

Yellow submarine moving up

Vila-real come to Barcelona in ninth place with 21 points from 15 games, and are six points adrift of the Europa League and eight off the Champions League, following a poor start to a season in which they were once bottom of the table and Valverde’s job was very much hanging on the line.

“We coaches live from results and the way the team performs. At first we struggled to get goals and results but the way we play, we could afford to stay calm. The club supported us, but after losing to Xerez in game seven, it was not an easy situation but we responded by starting to win games. We may have lacked conviction but the team was restructured and we are stronger now, we are on a good run and we hope we can keep up this good play” he said.

A football lover

Vila-real is the fourth side to be managed by Valverde after Athletic Club Bilbao (2003-2005), Espanyol (2006-08) and Olympiakos of Greece (2008/09). “We have a good squad with good players and coaches and we dominate the ball well. We like to play good football and that is how the results come. Every team has its style and tries to get results in its own particular way. I believe more in style than results, the results come about by your style of play. Barça have a very defined style and so do we, although we have struggled to get this far”.

Praise for Barça

The 45 year old Basque manager is full of respect for this weekend’s opponents. “What they have done this season is extraordinary and can only be valued over time. You can’t always win everything, but this team has ambition and can once again aspire to winning everything, although it will be hard to repeat the feat. Sometimes you need a bit of luck, like Iniesta had against Chelsea, sometimes you have it and sometimes you don’t. In the league it’s all about regularity but in cup games it is different and you need the balance to tip your way”.