FCBARCELONA.CAT

10.01.2009 15:33

“Where the other team is in the table doesn’t tell me much”

Marc Guillén

Josep Guardiola says Barça will have to be at the top of their game against Osasuna, since even though their opponents are at the bottom of the League table that means nothing once the game has kicked off.

“Looking at where the other team is in the table before the game doesn’t tell me much,” the Barça manager said at his press conference before his side’s clash with Osasuna. “Osasuna have only lost twice at home, and they always create chances with route one football that will be tough for us to combat.”

“We have to move the ball around quicker than ever”

Guardiola says that Barça need to keep hold of the ball and move it around to counteract Osasuna’s more physical game. “We have to move the ball around quicker than ever,” he argued. “It may not look like it, but it is a big pitch so we have no excuses.”

Icy ground

The condition of the pitch due to recent low temperatures in Pamplona may influence the game and Barça’s line up on Sunday. “Once we’re out on the park we’ll see what it’s like and make a decision,” said Guardiola. “But I pretty much know the side I’ll put out and the weather forecast is good.”

Camacho once coached Guardiola

Osasuna’s manager, José Antonio Camacho, was one of Josep Guardiola’s coaches in the Spanish national team. That means that the Catalan knows that Sunday’s game will be a tough one.

“It’s an honour to be going head-to-head with him,” he said. “I know a bit about him because I was lucky enough to be coached by him and he’s good at what he does. He taught me a lot and he’s a great coach.” Guardiola also thinks that Osasuna has a lot of “pride and commitment”.