Since joining La Blaugrana in the summer of 2010, the former Argentinean captain has established himself as a central defender at the Camp Nou.
When on song, the tenacious Argentine could destroy any midfield in the world with his tough tackling, a fact many http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 fans will concur with. However, the diminutive footballer in a centre-back role is something he still has to adapt to.
Pep Guardiola should have received a lot of criticism when he decided that he is going to transform http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Javier-Mascherano-c18071 from a holding midfielder into a reliable centre-back.
The former West Ham player has came to the calling of his manager and given assured displays in the heart of Barcelona defence alongside http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Carles-Puyol-c8331.
Reflecting on his adaptation to the backline, Mascherano admitted that it is unusual for him to play in an alien role but he cannot complain as he enjoys taking on the pitch for Barcelona.
“I feel great playing in the back-line, even though my position on the right-hand side is a bit weird for me."
"But we did a good http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Job-c18684 and our defence was great."
“We just have to do our work in the best way possible but always looking to see how the leaders are doing."
In the absence of Eric Abidal, Mascherano took the pitch on the right side of a 3-4-3 formation alongside Puyol and Pique as http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 travelled to the Iberostar Stadium for their league fixture against Mallorca.
The Catalan side lost http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Thiago-c34888 Alcantara in the second half but the defence managed to keep their rivals at bay, with Pique going on the other end to score Barcelona’s second and final goal of the match.
The 27-year-old combative footballer also admitted that they had to play out of their skin with a man down, but were relieved after the second goal.
“Against Mallorca we kept our composure. We withstood the pressure after losing a player and with the second goal [from Pique on 79 minutes], the game got a bit easier because there wasn’t much time left.
After their weekend adventures in La Liga, Mascherano changes his focus towards UEFA Champions League quarter-final affair with Italian giants, AC Milan.
Barcelona travel to the San Siro for their first leg meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 28th.
Tags: