FCBARCELONA.CAT

20.05.2009 18:28

Busquets counting the days

Anna Segura

He’s a week away from the chance of playing in a Champions League final and for Sergio Busquets the big day can’t come soon enough.

This time last year he was involved with Barça B in the play-offs for promotion to Second Division B and certainly couldn’t have imagined that just a year later he would be on the verge of a European final.

A lot has changed for him in footballing terms but he’s still as excited as ever about playing for the first team: “I can’t ask for more. What I dreamed of as a little boy has happened this year”. Everything is happening very fast but Busquets knows, “I have to enjoy it”.

“It would be a dream to play in the final”

Against Mallorca (2-1), Josep Guardiola rested a number of players, including Busquets, with one eye on the Rome final. Busquets knows that this doesn’t guarantee him a place in the starting line-up but he admitted “it would be a dream to play in the final. I’m keen for the match to begin and to help the team. And above all to lift the trophy”.

The treble

When asked about the possibility of becoming the first Barça team to achieve the treble of league, Cup and CL, he told us: “The team isn’t under pressure, just motivated. We’ve had a great season. The treble has been done before and we’re one step away. The team is looking forward to the moment and hopefully we can go down in history as the team that did the treble”.

The threat of Manchester United

He also spoke about Manchester United: “They’re a strong team. All eleven players work hard. They’re very compact and they can do us a lot of harm on the break. In dead ball situations as well. It’s one of the best teams in Europe and in the world”.

“The final is 50-50 although people always say the reigning champion is favourite. The team that commits the fewest mistakes will take it”.

Guardiola and the team

The unity within the squad this season has undoubtedly played a big role in the success of the team: “Guardiola wouldn’t have been so successful without us and nor would we without him. The coach goes with the team and the team with the coach. We complement each other perfectly”.

Home-grown talent

Another positive feature of the season has been the important role played by players who have come up through the Barça youth ranks and the confidence Guardiola has shown in them. Busquets summed up the style of play instilled at the Barça academy: “It’s a passing, possession style. And you can notice that in the first team. The confidence in home-grown players is a source of pride and a reward for the work done by the Club. Football should reward clubs like Barça that have this youth policy”.