18.09.2010 14:28

Guardiola not obsessed with Atletico win

Vanessa Forns

Josep Guardiola’s never won at the Vicente Calderon as a manager, but he’s not obsessed with breaking that record, though he insists: “every manager wants to win”.

The boss is clear that taking the points from Atletico Madrid won’t be easy and even though all eyes are on his team’s performance, he reminded the reporters at this lunchtime’s press conference: “the other team is playing too – Atletico are one of the big teams and as such they can beat us, they have some great players”.

Attack

The games between these two are always spectacular and Guardiola reckons it’s because: “both of us want to attack and be true to our style of play. When this happens, you can expect something special to occur. We will be going into the game looking to do the right things and entertain”.

Well organised opponents

For Guardiola, Atletico are: “a well organised team who’ve made some good signings to fit in alongside players who’ve been together for quite a few years. They attack well through their forwards and play an attractive game. They have a strong counter attack. To sum up, they are a strong team, who are well organised at the back and in attack”.

With Kun Agüero doubtful for the game, Guardiola insisted: “I always prefer that the best players are on the pitch, so if he does play, that’s fine with me. Whether he does or not doesn’t affect the way I’ll plan the game”.

Messi

Asked to comment on Messi’s 10 years at the club, Guardiola responded: “I just do the best for him so that he can do his best and the fans can enjoy him. He really makes us enjoy the game and I hope he’ll continue to do so for the next 10 years. He’s said many a time that as long as he feels good here, he’ll be at Barcelona for a long time”.

Sergio Busquets

Sergio Busquets has been in the news of late with the possibility that he’ll be drafted into Spain’s under 21 set up and Guardiola took the opportunity to heap praise on his young star: “he brings balance to everything and that’s a great quality in a midfielder. He can really grow and I think he’ll be one of the great players at this club”.