FCBARCELONA.CAT

21.10.2008 19:25

Alves feeling better all the time

Roger Bogunyà

Dani Alves is happy at Barça. And he’s getting happier still, as he told a press conference in the build up to Wednesday’s Champions League match. The Brazilian said concentration and mentality will be the keys to beating Basel.

Dani Alves has made it clear that he feels fine at Barça and that his words were misinterpreted at the start of the season when he said Barcelona would not see the same Alves as Sevilla did. “What I meant to say is that they play the game differently here to what they did at Sevilla. But of course I am still the same player.”

He is also starting to feel more at home. “I am feeling better and better and getting to know my colleagues and what the manager wants. I feel really comfortable” he said.

Aiming for top spot

Asked what Barça would be setting out to achieve in Basel, Alves had no doubt what they are after. “The aim is to top the group. To do that, we need to win on Wednesday, but we know it’ll be difficult to win away from home. But that’s the mentality of this team: winning”.

The Brazilian also said that he wanted seal passage into the last sixteen as quickly as possible so that they could focus more on other competitions in November and December.

Concentration or defeat

So it is important the team stays focused for the full 90 minutes, and they should beware of any superiority complexes. “We are taking the game very seriously, as if it was a city derby. We have already had the experience of losing to a newly promoted side, Numancia, so we know there are no easy opponents, especially in this competition” he commented.