FCBARCELONA.CAT

09.04.2010 14:12

“We have to be bold in the Bernabéu”

Vanessa Forns

Josep Guardiola has called upon his FC Barcelona players to be bold in the Santiago Bernabéu when they take on Real Madrid in the hotly-anticipated clásico on Saturday evening.

The Blaugrana boss thinks that anything other than a show of strength will cause problems and is confident that his side will be courageous against their arch rivals.

“We have to be bold,” he told a press conference on Friday. “I want us to go out an do things, not sit and wait for them to happen. We have to show what we can do and that we deserve to win the title. We need to be brave and to go out and look to play because that is one of the reasons why we have been so successful. It is that factor that I want this team to be known for while I am coach.”

Playing well

“I know clearly how we have to play and how we will do that,” Guardiola continued. “We have to treat it like it is a final because otherwise you cannot win in the Bernabéu. I want to feel good when the game finishes. It is important to me how we have played. Doing certain things have taken us a long way and now more than ever we have to make sure that we do them.”

Intense encounter

“Last season’s 2-6 is unrepeatable,” the coach stated. “Everyone will be ready though. I think it will be entertaining, with goals, plenty of intensity and power and with two teams that will both go out looking to win. I have seen a lot of Madrid and I know exactly how they play and that if they have won main characteristic then that is that they like to play football and to win. Whoever wins this game will evidently knock the other team.”

The virtues of Real Madrid

“They have a team capable of competing for everything,” Guardiola said about Madrid. “I have watched them and they have impressed me. They are a complete side with a big squad made up of players who are very strong and determined. They use the spaces well and are fast and can score goals too. We are talking about playing against the second best team in the world and they are strong in the air too. Also, they have a great goalkeeper and if you look at their bench you can see how good their squad is. If you let them dominate they can do that very well.

“We will have to play very, very well. We go into the game in good form and we know that we will have to maintain that if we want to come away with a win.”

Not decisive

“It is a very important game, but it will not be decisive because there are still plenty of other matches to play. There are still 21 points to play for. We have both dropped very few points so anything can happen. We will have to continue to work hard.”