FCBARCELONA.CAT

04.04.2009 22:41

"A win that reinforces morale"

Vanessa Forns

Josep Guardiola was delighted with the win in the José Zorilla as he believes that win that came after the international break last weekend can only "reinforce the morale" of the players.

FC Barcelona were without the majority of their first team squad when preparing for the encounter against Real Valladolid and the coach was pleased with the way that those that stayed behind and the players that jetted back from playing in World Cup qualifiers and friendlies played. "We responded as a team," he explained. "I am very proud of my players."

Victory celebrations

The Blaugrana showed their delight at the win on the pitch and Guardiola recognised that "these gestures of celebration show that every player out there knew how important this victory was. They have all given everything and that is all we can ask of them. We need these three very important points to recover our form and after ten days break the win reinforces the morale".

Congratulations for Valladolid

Looking at Real Valladolid, Guardiola was keen to congratulate them on the way that they went into the game looking to go forward. "They are a brave side," he said. "I would like to congratulate them for their courage, their boldness and to say that is how teams should play and it made things difficult for us."

Champions League next

After a day off on Sunday, the players will start training again on Monday as they prepare for the Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich in Camp Nou on Wednesday. "Now we will have some rest and then prepare for the next game," Guardiola stated.

Pedro’s performance

On Pedro's performance, the coach was full of praise as he said that "he knows how to play on the wing very well" before adding "The wide pitch was good for us and I may have not used him much, but I am calm when he plays. I am very pleased with his performance".