23.11.2010 19:11
“We’ll put out the best team we can”
Vanessa Forns
Josep Guardiola has said that the team is entirely focused on the Champions League game with Panathinaikos, and has promised that he won’t be conditioning his selection by the forthcoming Madrid match.
He made it clear that “we haven’t qualified yet” and that they are in a difficult
and demanding competition in which they will have produce the best game they can to get the
all-important win in Greece.
The clàsico forgotten
Guardiola will not be conditioning his side against Panathinaikos by
the big Barça v Madrid on Monday. “We’ll put out the best team we can. We haven’t
qualified yet and we want to top the group. It isn’t hard to forget the clásico, because
it’s what we did the last two years, and there’s plenty of time to relax and get ready
for it the right way.”
Dangerous ignorance
The biggest handicap could be the change of head coach at the Greek club.
“The new manager means Panathinaikos are an unpredictable team. I don’t know much about
how they’ll play under Mister Ferreira, and that’s an added problem. We will have to be
ready to react. I’d like more references, but I don’t have them, so I’ll have to
use my intuition and adapt.”
Need to qualify
The Barça boss made it clear that his utmost priority is to get FC
Barcelona into the second round of the Champions League, and even better as group winners, because
that ensures playing the return leg at home.