15.01.2011 14:32

Guardiola: “Malaga have strengthened their team”

Jordi Clos

Speaking to the media before tomorrow night’s game at the Nou Camp, Pep Guardiola warned that Manuel Pellegrini’s Malaga: “have a lot of experienced players”. He also ruled out signing a replacement for Milito if he leaves.

Barça finish the first half of the season this Sunday against a Malaga team who have spent heavily in the winter transfer window. Despite all the new faces, Pep reckons he knows what to expect: “we have kept an eye on them – they are managed by a top trainer and they have strengthened the team with very experienced players such as Demichelis, Baptista or Maresca”.

Caution

Guardiola also praised other Malaga players – the youngster Camacho and the speedy Eliseu- and insisted that they had “a squad full of depth – they’ve spent a a lot on players and that means they are obliged to do well, we’ll have to play with a lot of concentration. Manuel Pellegrini’s teams always play well and that will be what they are coming here to do: play good football and win. He’s a manager who has always caused Barça problems”.

Excellent first half to the season

Looking back over the first half of the campaign, Pep declared himself “well satisfied, especially with the way the players have behaved. If you want to keep on winning you have to have self respect and enthusiasm. We have the chance to take more points than ever in this first half of the season and then to continue growing and improving. You always want to play at your best and to win as many points as possible, but it’s hard to take in that after the slip ups against Hèrcules and Mallorca that we could be on 52 points half way through the campaign”.

Milito and Alves

Pep explained that Gaby Milito had: “asked to leave so that he could get in more game time. I’m planning the next few weeks with the idea that he is here with us, and I hope he is. Today he remains an important player for us and he knows that I and the club as a whole will support him in every way we can. However, if he does leave, which I hope he doesn’t, I’ll stick with the players that are left”.

As to Alves’ future, Guardiola commented: “I know that it’s both his and the club’s intention that he stays here for many more years. The most normal thing would be that everything stays as it is and I hope that both parts can sort it out”.