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05.12.2008 15:06
Thanks to hard work we are leaders
Marc Guillén
Josep Guardiola has recognised “the hard work that Thierry Henry and all the others do” in order for FC Barcelona to be at the top of the table.
The Blaugrana coach placed the emphasis on the team ahead of any individuals and assured that he is not worried about Samuel Eto’o’s absence through suspension this weekend when Valencia visit Camp Nou because “we are fortunate to have many players to take his place”.
Understanding Henry
Henry explained earlier this week that he had to do a lot of running at
Barcelona as part of his defensive duties and Guardiola admitted that he understood the French
international because he cannot do the same things in his position as he could do if he played as
the central striker.
“I have read all his views and I understand them perfectly,” Guardiola said. “"He was the best player at Arsenal, top goalscorer for France and is a world class player and he has the capability to do things now that he did not do before. He is here to do what the team needs, but at his age is is not easy to change his movements that are specific to this side. Thanks to his efforts and ability, and that of many others, though we are the leaders. Despite being a star, he has capabaility to do these things even though they take away from his normal game.”
Unfair on Valencia
Looking ahead to the game on Saturday against Valencia, Guardiola
reflected on the fact that the visitors to Camp Nou had 48 hours to prepare after their UEFA Cup
appearance in midweek. “It is unfair, like loads of things that happen in the world of
football,” he continued. “The players themselves are not considered and nobody realises
that they do not have enough time to recover fully. But it is an exclusive problem to Valencia and
it has happened to Barça in the past.”
Guardiola then stated that “ten of the eleven” Valencia players likely to face Barcelona were rested for the UEFA Cup encounter and that the fact that los Che had picked up points in seven of their last ten visits to Camp Nou was “significant”.
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The thin line of success
Pep Guardiola believes that FC Bacelona have still “not achieved anything yet” and that
last weekend’s game against Sevilla proved that. “In the first half there was a
poosible penalty on (Frédéric) Kanouté that could have been awarded. If the referee had done that,
we would have gone in at the break level and with a player less and things would have been very
different. The line between winning and losing is very thing,” he explained.
