19.01.2011 23:59

Guardiola: “You need to lose to appreciate things”

Vanessa Forns

Josep Guardiola is delighted to have made the cup semi finals at the expense of such a fine side as Betis. But he added that the defeat at the Benito Villamarín was a reminder of the great things this team has achieved.

Barça made good of their 5-0 lead from the first leg to go into the semis of the Copa del Rey, where they’ll face Almeria. He also sees the good side of losing 3-1 because it all goes to show how “hard everything is to do, there is a lot of effort behind all this and all our opponents are good … the only way we can get better is by analysing these mistakes … We have to lose to appreciate things”.

Nothing is easy

Guardiola went on to speak of the end of their famous unbeaten run. “It takes a lot to go 28 matches without losing” he said. “We have had to be persistent to do that. This result shows how hard everything is and was good for putting us in our place.”

Praise for Betis

The FCB manager had said in his pre-match press conference that he had nothing but admiration for Betis. “When we analysed our opponent, we knew it was going to be a tough tie. We knew full well that we’d have trouble, and that was the case. I want to congratulate Betis, a historic team that has always played good football, and who have top quality players. They are solid side, and are top of the Second Division by chance. Given all that, beating a team like that is something I value highly.”

Afellay’s full debut

Ibrahim Afellay was named in the starting eleven for the first time since joining FC Barcelona and Guardiola was delighted with what he saw. “He gets free and calls for the ball a lot. He had a good game. I like players that get involved, that try and that ask for the ball.”