FCBARCELONA.CAT

06.11.2007 19:15

“Winning won’t be as easy as everyone thinks”

Marc Guillén

Barça manager Frank Rijkaard has every respect for Glasgow Rangers, a side he claims are difficult to beat and that raise their game when they play big teams.

In his pre-match press conference, the Barça coach has underlined what he thinks make Rangers a decent side and suggested that it could be just as hard to beat them on Wednesday as it was a fortnight ago at Ibrox Park.

Respect for Scottish football

“The opposition deserve respect because they have shown themselves to be a decent side. It might seem that it will be easy to win but we will have to fight hard. Rangers don’t only play it tight at the back, they don’t just defend well, they are also good in attack. They have forward talent and know all about playing on the counter attack” said Rijkaard. Rangers won 3-0 away to Olympique Lyon in their second match and have got the same number of points as FC Barcelona.

Frank Rijkaard also feels Scottish sides are dangerous because of the way they raise their game against big clubs. “They are especially motivated and work harder to make their fans happier. That’s why they are so difficult to beat” said Rijkaard.

Mentality not the only factor

Barça will need to pull something special out of the bag to make sure of the three points on Wednesday evening. “The team always has the right mentality but you can never forget that there are two teams on the field, You may have all the right motivation and concentration, but that doesn’t always mean you will win. Sometimes things don’t work out as you would like and you have to suffer and keep working”, he added.
But all the same, the Dutch coach is convinced that “if we play well and do things like they should be done, we’ll win.”