18.10.2010 17:59

Mascherano: “I’ve been improving”

Roger Bogunyà

Javier Mascherano was Barça’s last summer signing and he reckons that he is adapting quickly, both on and off the pitch, claiming: “I’ve been improving with each game and I’ll continue to do so”.

The Argentinean reckons that he is “getting to know the team and the way we play much better. I came in when the league had already begun and it was a big change, but my team mates and the manager really made me feel at home. I’m trying to learn every day, especially the new tactical concepts”.

Big change

For the midfielder it’s been a big change in style: at Liverpool he was much a destroyer in midfield, “but here the league is different and the way the team play is too. It’s not the same to change from an English team to any other Spanish team, as changing to Barça who have a completely different style”.

Valencia

Mascherano, who came on towards the end of the Valencia game, reckons that Saturday’s match was very different from the slip ups against Hercules and Mallorca: “they were three different games. Against Valencia in the first half they pressured us really well and we couldn’t play, but in the second they couldn’t keep up the workload”.

Less Xavi means more Mascherano?

With Xavi still suffering and having missed a couple of weeks already this season, he’s probably going to be have to protected for much of the campaign and that could mean more games for Mascherano. “Xavi is a very important player for this team, he is key to how we function. I don’t want to play because a team mate is injured; I just want to be able to contribute whenever the boss asks me to. We have players who can come in if Xavi is out – it’s just that we all bring something different ”.