Guardiola: “We dedicate this victory to Abidal"

The manager dedicated the victory to Éric Abidal, who underwent liver transplant surgery this Tuesday

“I’m very pleased with today’s performance because it’s difficult to attack a team that puts nine men behind the ball,” said the manager

Josep Guardiola wanted to encourage Éric Abidal, who underwent liver transplant surgery today, by dedicating Barça’s victory over Getafe to the Frenchman. “We’re very pleased to be able to dedicate this victory to Abidal and his cousin Gerard. It’s a special day because we knew that he was in surgery.”

On the match, the manager is pleased with the performance of his players against a team that came to the Camp Nou to defend the initial scoreline: “we’re very pleased because it’s never easy [to play against] such a defensive team. We found our patience, and we scored fairly early, we created goal scoring chances... we controlled the match.” He added that “it’s very difficult to attack a team that defends with nine players.”

Time to think about Levante 

The manager knows that he can’t influence tomorrow’s match between Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid. However, he said “we’re on a good streak and we have to focus on our own work. We have to start thinking about one of the most difficult matches we have left away from home like the one against Levante and Rayo. These two games will mark our course [in the Liga].”

Praise for Puyol 

Carles Puyol turns 34 this Friday. Guardiola said that “beyond his physical qualities he can play football. He lives for it and he takes care of himself. He lives each training session as if it were his last and he performs like it’s his first. I’m very pleased with him and even more so after last year. It’s encouraging because it helps me think we can prolong his career and that’s good for him and for Barça.”

Just as he did after the match against Zaragoza, Guardiola highlighted Pedro’s performance. “We need his goals until the end of the season. It’s great that he’s recovering his confidence and I’m happy that the fans cheer him on.”

Lastly, the manager played down the fact that Barça finished the match with 10 La Masia graduates. “The foundation of the Club is made up of players from La Masia, but in the end everyone is part of this team.”