FCBARCELONA.CAT

26.07.2007 11:30

Sylvinho excited about the new-look Barça

Sandra Sarmiento / Anna Segura

Brazilian wingback Sylvinho, a favourite with British journalists covering the training camp in Saint Andrews due to his time with Arsenal, is looking forward to his fourth season with Barça.

The 33-year-old Sylvinho, or Silvio Mendes Campos to give him his full name, has told Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat that he’s looking forward to the challenges of his fourth season defending the Barça colours. He also revealed that he has turned a deaf ear during his summer vacation to the rumours that claimed he was on his way out of the Club: “I’m relaxed. I’m doing a good job and my starting point is that if the Club wants me that’s great but if not I’ll have to look for something else. I’m comfortable and happy to be in Barcelona another year”.

The arrival of Abidal

The arrival of French international defender Eric Abidal has increased the level of competition for the left back position though the two players have quite different styles. Abidal is more defensive while Sylvinho adds more in attack. According to Sylvinho, Abidal’s arrival is a positive: “Barça gains by this. We carry on winning because the important thing is the squad not the players. And from here it’s the manager who has to move the pieces as he wishes”.

Teamwork

It’s precisely at the level of teamwork that Sylvinho believes the key lies to success. There’ll be a lot of competition for places but he is convinced this is a plus and that it’s Frank Rijkaard’s job to manage the group: “The best thing that can happen to Barça is to have a squad of 20 or 22 players with a lot of quality. The players have to accept that and compete fairly and sincerely. We all want to play but there are times when we have to accept a place on the subs bench. That helps the team win”.

A positive mood

“The team is young but there are some experienced players and everyone is enthusiastic. I’m really keen to carry on doing my job and see things go the right way. I judge the season by the level of enthusiasm and as there’s a lot of enthusiasm I’m happy because people will do their best”.

A tough season

However, Sylvinho believes it will be a challenging season though he is convinced the team can aspire to collect some medals if they stay alert all the way to the end: “There are competitions that will be decided in February or March. It’s a short season packed with matches and I think Rijkaard will use a lot of players. We have to stay fresh and win every weekend and in midweek. Barça have a squad to aspire to a great deal but we mustn’t fall into the trap of saying that we’ll win it all. We have to take it one step at a time”.