Deco about exit (2): "Ex-teammates are happy"

In an interview with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo, former Barcelona midfielder Deco (31) talked about his transfer from Barcelona to Chelsea this summer.





There's a big difference between Barcelona and Chelsea?
Both are big clubs with a lot of quality people. The main difference could be that I miss my Barcelona friends and team-mates, although that's compensated since here you have Belletti, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira, Bosingwa, Hilario and even Scolari, who - as Portugal national team coach - has been very important in my career. I feel already at home in London.

You didn't join your good friend José Mourinho at Inter.
The offer I got from Chelsea was in every aspect better than the one I got from Inter. I liked the project of Scolari and I cannot complain, it's a joy to play together with Lampard, Essien, Ballack, Joe Cole, Drogba, Terry and the others. We're gonna make life difficult for Inter and the other top clubs. We really want to go after the Champions League the club was so close to last season.

You already saw the new Barcelona in action?
Only during the Gamper game against Boca Juniors and I liked their spirit. The way they play, I already knew and I enjoyed it on the pitch as a player. That "style" is a tradition of Barcelona, no matter who is there.

What do you think of Guardiola?
I only know him from seeing him play and he was excellent doing that. The best thing I can say is that I regularly talk with my former team-mates and that they all say they're very happy with him, that they work hard, that they're satisfied and that things are looking good.

Meanwhile some people don't stop to talk negative about the period of Rijkaard...
Although it's not correct, it's partly a logical thing in the world of football. Everyone now wants to start a new era and forget the bad results. I sincerely think that time will end up doing justice to the Barcelona of Rijkaard, Ronaldinho and all the others. We won two Spanish leagues, one Champions League and we played excellent football.

You understand the criticism about the last years?
It surprises me a little. There was a time when everybody was hastily looking for guilty people so they could blaim some individuals and turn the page after having pointed at certain players. But I guess it's a normal thing in football when things aren't going well, when the results aren't there. What can you do about it, it's a football law.

(This was the second and last part of this interview. You can read the first part here)

Read more:
OFFICIAL: Deco to Chelsea
Barcelona involved in five summer top transfers
Deco's first weeks at Chelsea