Marquez: "Giovani couldn't deal with the pressure"

Barcelona player Rafael Márquez gave an interview to Spanish football weekly paper Don Balón.





You felt persecuted last year with all sort of rumours about your private life made public?
No. Besides, I take care of not reading the press, I avoid it. I talk with the people around me, the coach and the board member, it's also an important part of my job. They said they believed that I would continue at the club and I didn't give attention to those rumours.

One of the important persons now is Guardiola. How do you get along with him?
Well, very good. The first time I talked with him was very special. When his arrival was announced, it was very clear to me that I wanted to stay at the club. But I didn't know if I was part of his new project. We were lucky to meet and he told me how he felt. His wish was that I didn't leave the club.

What did he exactly say to you?
That he was convinced that I would get back at the level I had shown in previous seasons.

That means he implicitly was saying that he wasn't satisfied with your performances last season?
I also consider myself to be an ambitious person and of course I wasn't playing as good as before during the last two seasons. It was a challenge for me to try to regain my best form again.

You feel a regular this season?
With Guardiola, it's difficult. There are so many games, there's so much competition, it's not easy. There's a big squad and nobody should feel too sure.

Taking into account the years you've been playing here, would you have liked to be one of the captains?
In every team where I have played, I have tried to be a leader on the pitch and to help the team, but I have never been obsessed with wearing the armband.

With the Mexican national team you're wearing it but there you're also a true idol. How do you deal with that?
Well, I always try to be the same person and to not change my attitude. What I try to do is to give the example because being the capitan gives you a lot of responsibility.

How do you look at the qualifiers for the World cup in 2010?
Things are fine. We're having some troubles in the away games but we hope to be present in South Africa.

Guardado is your big hope?
It's a great player, he has already proven that. If he doesn't get injured and he keeps on making progress, the logical thing is that he will join a big club soon.

Giovani seems to go in the opposite direction. Are you talking with him about what he's going through?
We've lost contact somehow but it's a very talented young player and he'll sure recover in Tottenham.

Why do you think he left Barça?
He arrived together with Bojan and people were immediately talking about his talent. But he didn't have enough experience to deal with the pressure and he paid for that. He wanted to do too many things at the same time and he ended up making one mistake after the other. All this affected him greatly and it prevented him from showing what he could.


This was the fourth and last part of this interview. You can read the previous parts here:
"We're starting a new era"
"You won't find a substitute for Eto'o"
"Atlético Madrid wanted to sign me"