FCBARCELONA.CAT

20.02.2008 23:53

“It was one of our best matches of the season”

Roger Bogunyà

Speaking after the win against Celtic, Carles Puyol told reporters that Barça had produced one of their performances of the season.

Milito, Messi and Valdés also echoed the captain’s words. Pressure up field, possession and fluency in their passing enabled Barça to push back Celtic into their own third of the pitch. And this time control of the game was rewarded by goals. The players believe that the win will boost their confidence ahead of some tough league and Cup games.

Here is a selection of the players’ post match comments:

Puyol

“The team played well, even when we went behind”.

“I think it was one of our best matches of the season”.

“This is the road to follow but we mustn’t think that we’ve got it all done”.

“We had to recover that pressure. It’s what has given us a lot of joy in previous seasons”.

“We never have any complaints about our fans, not just today”.

“I honestly didn’t know that Messi and Touré were one yellow card away from a suspension, but I’m sure they did”.

Messi

“I’m happy with the result”.

“This result will help us keep improving”.

“Now the important matches are coming up”.

Valdés

“It’s not a decisive result”.

“Barça clearly dominated the match”.

“That’s football. Celtic take full advantage of the direct game and that’s what they did today”.

“I think Barça had a great game. We dominated every facet of the game. It’s a fair result”.

“Winning here gives us a lot of confidence”.

“We need his (Ronaldinho) quality and he showed a little of what he can do”.

Milito

“We played a great match”.

“I think it was one of our best recent matches, and in a very hostile atmosphere. We reacted well”.

“The fact that we’re all available again after so long is very important. Now it’s the decisive time in the three competitions”.

“It’s difficult not to concede goals. The opponents also play and have their virtues”.

Iniesta

“We suffered because we were behind on the scoreboard but we transmitted a good sensation”.

“This will give us a lot of confidence in Europe and in ourselves. We’re back now to the league and the Cup – this doesn’t stop”.

“You could say that we’re taken a big step forward in Europe.”

Deco

“You can always improve”.

“The good thing is that we were able to come back from behind