In an interview with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona attacker Eidur Gudjohnsen talked about the start of the new season.
You survived two transfer summers while the club was open to offers and now you're even a starter in league games. What has changed?
Some little details have changed, that nevertheless have been very important for me. Now I feel very much appreciated by the coach and this gives me more confidence. Besides that, I have scored some goals, so the outcome is that I'm now much more relaxed to do my job. I don't go out there each time with the pressure of having to play well no matter what.
Leaving the coach aside, there are more things that have also helped you?
My confidence has grown because I'm also more appreciated by the team. Now I know that I will keep on having my chances when I play well. Not like last season when I always returned to the bench after a good performance. On the other hand, I notice that we're more a group this year and I think that this could lead to a magnificent season.
Before you had to compete with Deco for a spot in the team. It's more easy now the Portuguese has gone?
I wouldn't say that it's more easy these days, but maybe it could have an influence since Deco had some excellent seasons here and was very important to the team. But besides that, we are now all candidates to start a game, while last year the coach already knew his starting team beforehand. Guardiola has warned us that there are no fixed starters this year and that we're all important members of the team.
Rijkaard disappointed you?
Not as a person or as a coach, because I admire him a lot and I have great respect for him, but with his decisions he did disappoint me. When a player doesn't feel appreciated by his coach, that's difficult to understand.
Was there too much relaxation last season?
I think that we all, not only the coach, let things go a little. But now, after two seasons of not winning anything, the hunger for trophies is back and you can see that at the training sessions.
When you have scored, you celebrated it showing the Barcelona shield, why?
It was like saying: "I'm still here and I'm wearing this shirt with a lot of pride". I got quite emotional when I scored against Betis because I needed a goal and because it was decisive for the team.
This is the first part of the interview. The second part will follow tomorrow, with Gudjohnsen talking - amongst other things - about the importance of Guardiola and the ideal position of Henry.
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9 comments:
True professional!! I feel sorry reading this part:
"Not like last season when I always returned to the bench after a good performance."
All those who dont regard him might have a change of hert reading this.. cos how does it feel playing Deco agianst Man-U when the guy had been out for abt 6weeks.. Frank R. had his starting eleven in mind no matter who was fit or inform... that stops you from trying cos no matter what u do, u aint getting in the starting XI. All the best GOODY!
Deco played well against Manchester, so that was a good decision in my opinion.
well, I'll say it kxevin's way..
"call me crazy" but as I see it, we were looking for a big,powerfull striker and he was there among us all the time, to be specific,warming the bench ,
I suppose you all knew him.. yes, the ice man.. Gudi!! the most underrated player in barcelona, but with Pep, no more underratings,
with 185 cm, and good physical presence, he could make a great work in the new system, and although it's too early for stats. here are some "and here I'm speaking about La liga" only:
Eto'o: 5 goals in 5 matches from 18 shots.
Messi:5 goals in 5 matches from 30 shots!
Henry: 2 goals in 3 matches from 10 shots.
Gudjohnsen: 2 goals in 2 matches from 6 shots!!
and I mean by matches "startings"
and he did that while playing as a MF trying to get into his form after almost 2 seasons on the bench. I think Pep do believe in him and that will help him to shine once again.
and guess what.. he is even younger than Titi!! :)
lets wait and see..
aahhahahahhahaha,, no offenses buut i repeat but comparing gudi to a true living legenf of football thats more than ridicioulous, i am tired of those analyzes from ppl who have no idea of what r they talkin about. forget the statistics man open up your eyes. anyway good for him that his confidence is back that will help him a lot to get an easier transfer on the next summer.
Well I think Gudi is talking basically about that period before RM game, when both Roni and deco were injured, Gudi played a series of games and started to gain the liga momentum and form, then out of sudden, he was benched in that disastrous game against RM, and instead Roni and Deco were selected even though they were barely fit to warm the bench, and as i always said that game actually decided the season.
Now is he good enough or not, thats not what I will judge, but I always said that you will never have a player in your squad with that desire and patience, he fought to earn recognition and I am glad for him, he is doing great this season and I hope it keep going like that.
He will have more competition when hleb is back, because hleb is the perfect option to partner Xavi, but he is in a good position to fight for a place, credit for him, and mostly for pep.
Nobody will ever question Gudjohnsen's work rate and heart. The man is a comsummate professional.
The problem is that he just isn't suited, ball skills-wise, to the Liga. What's making him better this season is that nobody wants to waste a defender marking him because of the chaos being sown by Messi/Xavi/Iniesta/Henry/Eto'o.
Last season, he was dicking around in the midfield with everybody else, laterally passing and not doing anything.
But a healthy Hleb makes Gudjohnsen pretty much irrelevant. That's a wait-and-see notion, however. Hleb had a bit of bad luck.
Gudjohnsen is a fine player, but he doesn't have the pace or ball skills to really cut it in the Liga. Note that whenever he is marked, he loses the ball to a quicker mid with better ball skills. That's just the reality of his life.
He's must better suited to the Premiership, but you won't see him go anywhere near West Ham unless someone has a blindfold, gun and an unmarked panel van.
@ noubarca , I think gudi met with "Not like last season when I always returned to the bench after a good performance." the RM home game, he gave a faqntastic performance at the game before , and rijkaard deceided to play deco instead who came back from injury. and we lost.
OBI
I think he deserves a spot in the squad (more than -so far- Keita, for example) but maybe he's a little too expensive to act as back-up for the back-up.
He is a good ATM bachup for iniesta and xavi and keita.
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