FCBARCELONA.CAT

21.10.2008 19:42

Guardiola calls for respect against Basel

David Puig

Josep Guardiola wants no euphoria among his players and qualified the game against Basel as “very difficult”. He also said how sorry he was to learn of the death of Ricard Maxenchs.

Guardiola has once again made a call for calm ahead of the third Champions League game of the year, against Swiss side Basel. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Guardiola spoke about the difficulty of the task ahead. “Experience tells us that there are no easy games in Europe, especially away from home. Basel will be no exception. They are a powerful team, with tall players, and we are not up to the occasion, we won’t win”.

Ready to give it everything

The idea is to win the two games against Basel and thus make sure of qualification for the second round, which will also take some of the pressure off the December schedule.

Guardiola is not pleased to hear people speaking about the job already being done before they have kicked a ball against the Swiss outfit. “It’s a typical thing for Barça to think they have won a game before it has even started. December is a long way off and we have to be prudent. The important thing is to get three points against Basel and take things step by step. We mustn’t forget that we are playing against a league champion, so it won’t be an easy game”.

Support for Ricard Maxenchs’ family

Josep Guardiola said he was sorry to learn of the death of Ricard Maxenchs, the ex general secretary and assistant general manager of FC Barcelona for 22 years. “I want to send my condolences and all my support to Ricard Maxenchs’ family. He is a major loss to Barcelona and to his family. Ricard Maxenchs was always willing to help everybody. I urge all of the people that were close to him to stay strong through these hard times and I send them my warmest of wishes”.