Josep Guardiola has warned that Racing are capable of causing Barça problems if his team fail to play with maximum concentration. The boss also commented on Alves’ and Pinto’s situation.

“If we don’t control the ball, we will have problems against Racing”. Guardiola warned during Friday’s press conference ahead of Saturday’s opener to the second half of the season: “Racing play like Betis or Malaga, with a good defensive set up and with players who use the flanks and try to play good football. I know the team and the players and I’ve seen that especially in their last few games”.

The boss has drawn his conclusions from the Betis defeat, revealing: “I saw what we did well and what we didn’t. I’ve still not spoken to the players about it, maybe I will on Saturday or next week. Sometimes it can be good to lose a game which doesn’t involve dropping points or getting knocked out. The lessons to be drawn from the defeat will be discussed with the players sooner or later”.

Alves contract talks

Commenting on Dani Alves’ contract talks, Pep expressed his belief that: “Alves will be a Barça player for the next few years. As far as I know, negotiations haven’t broken down. I don’t think the situation will distract him either, though if that does happen we will all help him, but his form hasn’t dipped at all since he began talking with the club about this”.

Bojan and Pinto

Guardiola praised Bojan for his attitude in the Betis game, claiming: “I am more than happy with the game he put in and he knows it. He made four or five excellent moves, which his teammates weren’t able to pick out. There is always a tendency to look for a scapegoat when a team loses, but it’s the whole team who are responsible for winning or losing”.

As for Pinto, the boss reiterated his confidence in his keeper and announced: “he’ll be in goal for the Cup Final if we get there and he’ll definitely start the two semi-final games, because he deserves it and he’s a fantastic keeper. He’s always performed at a high level and he did against Betis too”.

Source: FCBarcelona

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