FCBARCELONA.CAT

26.01.2009 14:07

Abidal in fine form

Anna Segura

With every game that goes by Éric Abidal is feeling more at home and that’s reflected out on the pitch. “The more you work in training, the better you perform in the game,” he says.

This Monday lunchtime Éric Abidal gave a press conference at the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper sports complex, and though he seems serious on the pitch he often raises a smile among journalists when he meets the media.

Playing well

In Josep Guardiola’s Barça all the players are key members of the team. One of them is Éric Abidal, who’s turned out in 15 of the 20 League games Barça have played so far this season. The Frenchman thinks training both as a squad and as individuals is crucial here: “I’m feeling good and want to keep on working hard. The more you work in training, the better you perform in the game”.

Team success

Abidal is mightily impressed by Guardiola’s Barça this season. “It’s the best I’ve ever seen,” he said. “This team always has the ball.” He also stressed the importance of training: “The work we do all week means we can deliver the goods out on the park and win games”.

Working on tactics

Apart from the physical side, Abidal also sees the tactical work the team does as vital. “When we defend as a unit it makes things hard for the other lot,” he argued. “If we score goals and defend as a unit, beating Barça is really tough.”

The derby

Having the return leg of Barça’s Cup tie with Espanyol at Camp Nou is crucial in the Frenchman’s view. “Fortunately we’re playing at home, where we play great football,” he said. He thinks the Cup is an important competition for the team and that they have a good chance of “winning all the titles on offer”.

Olympique Lyon in the Champions League

The Champions League restarts at the end of February when Barça will be going head-to-head with Olympique Lyon in the last 16. Abidal used to play for the French outfit but says he has yet to speak to any of their players “because the game’s still a long way off”. That means he doesn’t know if they are worried about Barça, but “for sure they know it’s going to be a tough game”.