Puyol ready to give everything

Content

Football

27.11.2010 14:27

Puyol ready to give everything

Roger Boguny�

Carles Puyol thinks it�s 50/50 on Monday night, but is confident his team has got what it takes. �Our style never changes� he says. �We�ll give it all we�ve got�.

Carles Puyol has plenty of experience of cl�sicos against Real Madrid, and says “I can’t remember all the others, but this one seems very even. Both Bar�a and Madrid are playing well and confidently, and have few injury concerns. We have the advantage of playing at home, but I still think it’s 50/50”.

Danger on the counter

In his press conference, the centre back described the present-day Madrid. “They are very strong in defence, they place themselves well. They have very fast players on the counter and they make all the difference. If you give them space, they are hard to control.” He considers the biggest dangermen to be Higua�n, Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“We’re not playing against Mourinho”

He wasn’t keen on talking much about rival coach Jos� Mourinho. “We are not playing against Mourinho. We are playing against Real Madrid, who have a great coach and also great players.” Puyol said he has had little contact with him since he became a head coach, but “his results speak for themselves”.

The fans’ role

Puyol reiterated that this is a special match that’s incomparable with any others. “Nothing motivates us more. Madrid is always an important match … but the league will not be decided by this game”.

He also said that the fans “support Bar�a all the time and it helps them to forget other things”. Puyol reiterated that this is a special match that’s incomparable with any others. “Nothing motivates us more. Madrid is always an important match … but the league will not be decided by this game”.

He also said that the fans “support Bar�a all the time and it helps them to forget other things”.

To view this content you need the latest version of the Flash Player

Anxiety at the Camp Nou?

Bar�a have won the last two home cl�sicos 2-0 and 1-0, while winning 2-6 and 0-2 at the Bernab�u. Is it harder to win these games at home? Puyol answered “Perhaps without our noticing, the atmosphere has affected us. It’s true that we have found home games more difficult than ones at the Bernab�u. Anxiety is never good.” So it seems the players should avoid getting swayed by the amazing atmosphere in the stadium and instead focus as much as possible on the game at hand.