a écrit le 21 août 2006 à 11h25 Frank Rijkaard was pleased with his team's performance in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup as FC Barcelona comfortably defeated RCD Espanyol to retain the trophy with a commanding display.
The 3-0 scoreline reflected the balance of play as the Blaugrana picked up their first trophy of the season. The Dutch coach was keen to empahsise "the attractiveness" of his side's play as they produced some scintillating moments and congratulated them on showing "a good image" and playing "entertaining football".
Strong start
One of the most aspects, for Rijkaard, of the victory was "the strong start to the game that we had, as we played some great stuff and the team worked well together". He then added that "we were lucky to score very early on and that allowed us to relax. Collectively we were very good".
"We have to keep on working"
Comparisons between last season and the new campaign are inevitable, but the Barça coach was quick to ensure that his team keep their feet on the ground. "They played very well against Espanyol, but it is only one match and we have to keep working," he said. "We cannot begin to speculate about which trophies we can win from now on."
Debuts for Thuram and Gudjohnsen
Eidur Gudjohnsen and Lilian Thuram made their official debuts for the club since joining in the summer as they were introduced in the second half. "Thuram made a good impression, while Gudjohnsen worked hard for the team," Rijkaard said: "We are at the start of the season and there are many more games to go. We have a lot of players that will help the team."
Impressive Belletti
Juliano Belletti was roundly praised after a fine performance on Sunday evening and Rijkaard was also impressed: "Belletti had a marvellous match," the trainer beamed. "It has been a good night for him.He was very involved and played at his best."
Eto'o goes home
When asked about the absence of Samuel Eto'o from the cup celebrations, Rijkaard confirmed "he did leave, that is true. After a match there are a lot emotions. It is better to allow the night to pass and then speak again the day after". On the Cameroon striker's performance, the coach had only good things to say as he explained: "He was a strong part of the collective game that we played, he was generous, worked hard and looked out for his team-mates."
The 3-0 scoreline reflected the balance of play as the Blaugrana picked up their first trophy of the season. The Dutch coach was keen to empahsise "the attractiveness" of his side's play as they produced some scintillating moments and congratulated them on showing "a good image" and playing "entertaining football".
Strong start
One of the most aspects, for Rijkaard, of the victory was "the strong start to the game that we had, as we played some great stuff and the team worked well together". He then added that "we were lucky to score very early on and that allowed us to relax. Collectively we were very good".
"We have to keep on working"
Comparisons between last season and the new campaign are inevitable, but the Barça coach was quick to ensure that his team keep their feet on the ground. "They played very well against Espanyol, but it is only one match and we have to keep working," he said. "We cannot begin to speculate about which trophies we can win from now on."
Debuts for Thuram and Gudjohnsen
Eidur Gudjohnsen and Lilian Thuram made their official debuts for the club since joining in the summer as they were introduced in the second half. "Thuram made a good impression, while Gudjohnsen worked hard for the team," Rijkaard said: "We are at the start of the season and there are many more games to go. We have a lot of players that will help the team."
Impressive Belletti
Juliano Belletti was roundly praised after a fine performance on Sunday evening and Rijkaard was also impressed: "Belletti had a marvellous match," the trainer beamed. "It has been a good night for him.He was very involved and played at his best."
Eto'o goes home
When asked about the absence of Samuel Eto'o from the cup celebrations, Rijkaard confirmed "he did leave, that is true. After a match there are a lot emotions. It is better to allow the night to pass and then speak again the day after". On the Cameroon striker's performance, the coach had only good things to say as he explained: "He was a strong part of the collective game that we played, he was generous, worked hard and looked out for his team-mates."
