FCBARCELONA.CAT

05.11.2007 14:35

Touré: “We have to win away from home”

Berta Brau

Speaking at Monday’s Camp Nou press conference, midfielder Touré Yaya expressed his satisfaction at Sunday’s performance: “Yesterday we showed our quality on the pitch but if we want to win titles we have to win away from home”.

Touré also referred to his personal situation five months after joining the Club. In this short space of time, he’s become an important part of the team and a firm favourite with the fans: “It’s easy to play here. I’ve adapted quickly, most of all thanks to my team-mates. FC Barcelona is a very big club and it’s a pleasure to have the recognition of the fans”.

Keen to progress

Touré Yaya assured reporters that he is delighted to play with so many talented footballers: “The truth is I was really keen to play with the Barça players. They’re all very good and what I really want is to keep on progressing alongside them”.

Touré believes that the team is doing well and he was particularly pleased with the performance against Betis: “We played well yesterday. We want to show that we’re up there and to offer the best image, always. Also, we had an added motivation to win - we had to take advantage of Real Madrid’s defeat in order to cut the gap”.

Away matches

However, Touré admitted that the team is not doing so well away from home: “It’s true that when we play away from home, we’re weak. We have trouble playing our game. I believe it could be due to the fact that the opponents play very well at home and are very motivated to beat us. You also have to bear in mind that we have the crowd against us. Although it’s difficult to play away, if we want to win the league we have to win our away matches and I believe we’ll do so”.

“Criticism is part of the game”

As for the criticism that the team in general, and Ronaldinho in particular, have received, Touré insisted that it’s all part of football. The answer, he told reporters, is to improve their away form.

Support for Ronaldinho

However, Touré went on to defend Ronaldinho: “Ronaldinho is a good player, one of the best in the world”. He insisted that the Brazilian will come out on top and revealed that he is one of the players in the Barça squad that has impressed him most.

Rangers up next

Touré predicted that Wednesday’s match between FC Barcelona and Glasgow Ranger will be “physical and tiring” but is clear about the objective: “We have to play our game and get the three points because we want to qualify for the next round and keep our place at the top of the group”.