FCBARCELONA.CAT

14.12.2009 12:41

The long trip is no excuse

Roger Bogunyà (enviat especial)

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Carles Puyol and Dmitri Chygrynskiy agreed that, despite the long trip to Abu Dhabi, neither jet lag nor tiredness would affect the team’s performance. Puyol stressed, “We have time to recover”.

The two players spoke at separate press conferences but coincided in one idea: the players are tired because of the relentless fixture schedule and because of the long flight to the UAE. But none of this will affect the team against Atlante on Wednesday. According to Puyol: “The journey was difficult so we had a gentle training session, but we’ve got two more days to prepare the match”.

"A perfect temperature"

The players will have to get used to the temperature here in Abu Dhabi – this Monday it was 25º whereas in Barcelona the thermometer struggled to reach 8º. Puyol told us: “The change is nice. The heat’s quite pleasant. It’s a perfect temperature”.

Chygrynskiy, who was brought up in the cold temperatures of the Ukraine, told reporters that he was used to the heat by now: “It’s no more difficult for me. I’ve been in Barcelona for three months and it always seems like summer there”. The fact is the Ukraine winter in is nothing like Barcelona…and even less like Abu Dhabi!

Chygrynskiy looking for a trophy

Chygrynskiy is looking forward to winning his first silverware since he joined the Club at the end of August: “This could be my first title with Barça and so it’s important that I can play the tournament”. No doubt his motivation is strengthened by the fact that he is ineligible for this season’s Champions league.

No time for favourites

He also played down Barça’s role as favourite’s in Wednesday’s semi-final: “I don’t believe it’s important who the favourite is before we play. You have to win on the pitch”. Finally, he asserted that his integration into the team is “getting better every day”.