23.04.2011 11:47
Osasuna suit Villa
Sandra Sarmiento
Barça’s Spanish international striker has scored 10 goals against the Pamplona side in his 15 games against them and although he’s not found the net in recent games, his all round contribution remains key for Guardiola’s team.
After the disappointment of the Cup Final and with the Champions League semis on the horizon, Barça
entertain Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday night in a game that Guardiola’s players know is key
to maintaining their fight for the title. The boss has insisted that if the team win all their home
games then the league will be theirs again and there could be no more suitable opponent to start
that winning run in for David Villa than Osasuna, a team he’s scored 10 times against, more
than any other side in his league career after Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao and Deportivo.
10 goals, 10 wins
Villa made his debut against Osasuna in the 2003/04 season in Pamplona and scored the winning
goal for Zaragoza, Since then, he has scored the winning goal over and over again against the
Basque team, with both Zaragoza and Valencia. In the 15 games he’s faced them, he’s
chalked up 10 goals, with 9 of them proving decisive.
First choice for Guardiola
Villa has so far scored 21 goals this season, the same number as Ibrahimovic managed all last
season, but he has now gone 11 games without finding the net. The boss and his fellow teammates are
quick to point out though, that Villa has been fundamental in the team’s play with his
pressing, mobility and ability to make space, all of which have made him a first choice for
Guardiola, missing just 1 league game, 1 Champions League game and 4 Cup ties so far this campaign.