16.01.2011 23:49

“The challenge is to keep on like this”

Jordi Clos

Pep Guardiola urged his players to continue to maintain their “humility” during the second half of the season to ensure they reach the end of the campaign “with our options intact”. The boss reckons the 4 point lead over Madrid is simply “anecdotal”.

With the first half of the season nicely rounded off after the 4-1 win over Malaga, Guardiola was positive about the fantastic start to the campaign his team has made: “in general terms, we have put in an extraordinary first half to the season. The challenge now for us is to keep on competing like that and I hope we can so that we get to the end of the season with our options intact”. Whilst admitting the success they’ve enjoyed so far, Guardiola also warned: “we could drop points at any ground – you can’t go to any ground thinking that you’ve already won the game before a ball is kicked”.

Advantage over Madrid

Almeria, where Madrid dropped two points on Sunday, is a good example of how any game can be a danger: “it shows that you can’t always win at every ground you visit”. As to the lead the team have opened up over Madrid, the boss was adamant that: “at this stage of the season, four points over a rival as strong as they are, is simply anecdotal. If we think we’ve got it all wrapped up, then they’ll catch up in a flash. We will win if we take each game as we did in the first half – if every three days or so we can go to any ground with the intensity we have shown, whilst respecting our opponents. It’s not easy though, by any means”.

That intensity has taken Barça to a record points score for the first half of the season, breaking Guardiola’s team’s record from 2009: “50 points seemed a hard number to beat, but these players have done it. It’s a very good total, but I’ve especially appreciated the way they have done it –they are all so keen to run”.

Great first half against Malaga

Guardiola was also full of praise for his team’s performance against Malaga, particularly in the first half when: “we played really well, with a lot of intensity in defence. If we’d let them play they might have caused us problems. The team had the patience to generate goals and chances, but in the second half I wanted to make changes earlier, but I wasn’t happy about how the game was going”.

The confirmation that Gaby Milito will be staying at the club was another bit of good news for the boss and Guardiola commented: “it’s very good news for the club, and especially for me. He’s got football in the blood and he just wants to play. It’s not a matter of him wanting to go somewhere else, or get a better contract, or play in the Copa America - he just wants to play. He’s getting better all the time and that’s good news. We need him”.

Now for the Cup

The team have no time to sit on their laurels though and Guardiola’s focus is now turning to the Cup game against Betis on Wednesday. Despite the 5-0 win in the first leg, Guardiola is taking nothing for granted: “we have to be well prepared mentally. I don’t want any lack of respect towards an opponent as strong as Betis. We have to go into the game very seriously if we don’t want any slip ups”.