Pep Guardiola talk before Zaragoza encounter
The Barcelona manager, Josep Pep Guardiola had a press conference before the match against Real Zaragoza, and the Spaniard frankly told the press that he is not going to take anything for granted, even though his team is going
to play a team that is not at the top of their form.
Guardiola clearly said that even though Zaragoza are at the foot of the table, that does not really mean anything to him and he is going to send out the best available squad to win it for the three points that these two sides are
competing for.
The former Barcelona player and current coach also spoke about the Spanish midfielder Xavi Hernandez’s condition along with their goalkeeper Victor Valdes who missed out the midweek clash against the Danish side Copenhagen because
of vomiting and fever that he was suffering from that night.
In the press conference, Guardiola warned his team and the fans about the danger that the team is facing and said:
“If we go thinking about their position in the table and everything people are saying about them, then we’ll be making a big mistake. Zaragoza are more dangerous now and they deserve all our respect and I’m expecting a rival
from a big club, intense and aggressive.”
What Guardiola said about the opposition is absolutely correct and he simply made his intentions clear; that he is not going to take his opponents easily and he clearly said that he respects the club that he is going to face on
the weekend.
Guardiola also spoke about the same fixture that they played last season and claimed that during the match that they played last year, it was one of the toughest games. He added on to his comment by saying that Real Zaragozas’
ground is very historic and the fans there put a lot of pressure on the players, and it is never easy to play over there. He said that the game is so tough that you never know when it can change and he will not be fully satisfied till the final whistle is
blown. He also called Zaragoza a “big team” and stated:
“There are teams for whom the shirt is really important and Zaragoza are one of them – one of the big teams!” and added on to this by saying “They were capable of coming back against Sporting with just 10
men!”
Last week, Zaragoza were facing Sporting Santander and they went two goals down early in the game. Later on, a man was also red carded from their team; however, they managed to bounce back and scored two goals to earn themselves
a draw. This definitely makes them a tough side to face and Guardiola knows the “talent” that the team possesses.
The boss at the Nou Camp also talked about the fitness level of their goalkeeper Victor Valdes and said that the only reason Valdes is travelling with the team right now is because of the fact that he has recovered. He added onto
this comment by saying that Valdes has recovered perfectly and gained the weight that he lost during the midweek, and he is going to feature in the match against Real Zaragoza as he is their first choice goalkeeper.
When he was asked about Xavi Hernandez, Pep Guardiola revealed that the doctors have said that the midfielder’s tendons have improved; however, the coach still decides to rest his favourite midfielder and he is going to rest him
at least for the next ten days in order to make him come back to his perfect form. Guardiola also showed great confidence in his team and said that his team is performing very well at the moment.
Tags: