Josep Guardiola praises team
Spanish Coach Josep Guardiola was present in San Mames while being in charge of Barcelona in the 150th fixture. After drawing the game 1-1 against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Athletic-Club-c38535 and winning the Copa del Rey pre-quarterfinal tie, the
Catalan boss had words of appreciation for his team. Josep Guardiola spoke about the importance of the game citing how badly they wanted to win and how the fans backed his team.
Josep Guardiola already knew how the atmosphere in San Mames was going to be. The Spanish Champions already played in the ground during the Spanish La Liga and won the game 4-1. However, he stated the game was much tougher than
before and that is why they only managed to win on away goals and only drew while being away from home. He said, ”I know the real story would have been for them to have beaten us, but I think the story should be that we came here with the result from the first
game and managed to do what we did today.”
The Catalan coach, who also became the 6th manager to have hit the 150 mark in Barcelona after the San Mames fixture, stated that the game was very tough. He said that it reminded him of the fixture against the local
city rivals Espanyol, which took place on 18 December 2010. He said that Athletic Club performed the same way as Espanyol did back then; however, the ground was worse than Espanyol’s. He appreciated how his players were able to cope up with the ground and
the crowd’s condition while being away from home.
There was only one goal scorer for Barcelona and it was the French fullback Eric Abidal. Josep Guardiola especially mentioned him while talking about the game. He stated that Eric Abidal played great throughout the game, as a centre
back and as a full back. Guardiola said, “His form at the moment is just amazing.”
He also appreciated Txiki Begiristain, the technical secretary who advised Barcelona to sign Eric Abidal.
The Frenchman was not the only player who got the appreciation of the coach, in fact the second choice goalkeeper Jose http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Seydou-Keita-c33177 were also singled out during Josep Guardiola’s talks. He
said that both these players play an important role in the team. He said that both these players are vital for Barcelona and a little more important than the rest of the players who were performing for the La Blaugrana.
Josep Guardiola added to his conversation by stating that his team are now a step close towards the final of the Copa del Rey. However, he stated that underestimating upcoming opponents like Getafe and Betis is like giving them
less respect.
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