Barça B centre half Andreu Fontàs admitted that Valladolid’s pressure meant the team “found it hard to keep the ball” and reckons the draw was a fair result.
“It was a well balanced game. They are a good team, one of the best we’ve faced at the
Mini Estadi and we found it hard to hold onto the ball, that’s maybe the first time
we’ve had that problem at home. Valladolid took us on and stole the ball – when we
don’t have possession we find it much harder. They had chances in the second half and so did
we with Soriano hitting the post, so I guess a
draw is a fair result”.
“Individualists”
Soriano himself accepted that “it was hard work -they are a good team too. We
didn’t put in one of our best performances and maybe we were too individualistic at times. If
there is anything that defines us, then it is our game as a team and that’s why we found it
hard against Valladolid, because we weren’t playing that way”.
“It was hard to bring the ball out”
Martí Riverola echoed his teammates and insisted: “Valladolid are a good team
and they made it hard for us to come out of defence with the ball. We were unlucky not to score and
we have to take that home draw”. Asked about the effect of playing in the
Catalan Cup midweek, Riverola denied the game had affected the players: “we came out strong for
this game, but we just didn’t have the luck to score, that’s all. Had we scored, things
would have been very different”.
“Valladolid were well organised”
Keeper Jordi Masip agreed: “we are physically well prepared to play midweek and weekend
games- we are physically very fit”. As to the Valladolid result, Masip explained: “it
was a tough game because Valladolid were well organised at the back and they dropped back well. We
didn’t get the fast rhythm that we need on the ball and that allowed them to get back and
pressure us”.
“A point is always a good thing”
Jonathan dos Santos also drew attention to the opponents’ abilities:
“they put in a good game and made it hard for us from the first minute. They were good
throughout the team and although we tried, we just couldn’t get a goal, but a point is always
a good thing”.
Photos: FCB.
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“We won a point
In his post-match press conference Luis Enrique Martínez explained: “in the first half we
were pretty good, we had possession and we were getting forward, but we were missing a spark and
fluidity up front. It was different in the second half and Valladolid showed that they are clear
candidates for promotion. They took the ball off us and we couldn’t get it back easily. I
think today that we won a point – we still need to know how to read a lot of things in the
game, how to react on the pitch and know what we have to do, but there was effort, commitment and
intensity which is what we always demand. What’s more, we mustn’t forget we are playing
up in Segona A!”. Finally the boss praised the fans: “I think it was great that so many
supporters turned up on such a cold night –I’m just sorry we couldn’t give them a
win”.