FCBARCELONA.CAT

26.08.2009 14:29

Reflections on the past, hope for the future

Berta Brau

Xavi and Puyol are on the verge of playing their second European Super Cup. The first one in 2006 was a sad experience but they are both confident it will be a different story this time around.

With two days to go before Friday’s match against Shakhtar, reflections on the defeat against Sevilla and hopes for the one against Shakhtar are inevitable. Carles Puyol has bitter memories of the Super Cup final against Sevilla in 2006: “It was a really bad match. Sevilla were much better and deserved the victory”. But as the saying goes, defeat makes you stronger. “Now there’s a new opportunity that we must not let get away: We’ll fight hard in Monaco to bring the Cup back here”.

Similarities

Many people saw the defeat against Sevilla as the end of a cycle. Xavi recognises the similarities with the present but also highlights the differences: “It’s true that they’ll tell us that there are similarities but the players are intelligent and they know the past”.

The captain’s confident

Puyol is determined to look to the future and focus on Friday’s match: “It’s another game. We know that we have to prepare it well. We know we’re up against a very difficult opponent and who’ll be really fired up, so we have to be the same. I’m confident it’ll turn out well”.

A team with credit

Xavi told reporters: “People are reminding us too much about what happened three years ago. This year the team has earned a lot of credit”. He emphasised the players’ “humility” and concluded: “It can all go very well”.