26.01.2011 23:59

Mascherano: “tie’s not over yet”

Anna Segura

Javier Mascherano knows that the big win over Almeria is a big step towards the Cup final, but with the game against Betis in Seville still fresh in his mind, he insists: “the tie’s not over yet”.

Javier Mascherano put in an excellent performance against Almeria, dominating midfield and proving to be a key part in the win which has to make Barça favourites to reach the Cup final and he admitted: “we’ve taken an important step tonight”

Experience of Betis

The team are keeping their feet very firmly on the ground though and insisting that there are still 90 minutes left to play in the tie: “the tie’s not over yet. We’ve taken a good lead, but we all have the experience of what happened in Seville against Betis, where maybe the tie wasn’t in danger, but we were given more than one fright. For the return game in Almeria we will have to play with the same intensity that we did tonight”.

Keita:

“I always try and do my job as well as I can”.

“I’m playing a little less than last year, but the most important thing is the group as a whole”.

“It doesn’t matter who we play in the final, I just want to win the Cup”.

Iniesta:

“It’s important that everybody can give their best. The team again put in a good game”.

“There can only be one conclusion – we are doing things well in attack and in defence”.

“The reality is that we got a good result. We’re halfway to the final, but we have had the experience of Betis and everything can change”.

“Pedro’s performances speak for themselves. He’s putting in a spectacular season and the best thing is that he’s got a lot more time and football to offer”.

Villa:

“We are happy because this is a good result for us. This first leg was complete for us and now we have to finish it off in the second leg”.

“We’re happy to win 5-0 and the way we played means you can enjoy both the result and the performance on the pitch”.

Pinto:

“It’s a pretty good result, but we now need to finish the job. We are all clear that in football nothing is certain. Sometimes there are surprises”.

“What happened at Betis should serve as a lesson for us”.

“I’m glad to bring my own small contribution by keeping a clean sheet”.