Sylvinho: "Even the players are surprised"

Barcelona player Sylvinho gave an interview to football site ESPNsoccernet.





Inundated by records, goals, victories, finalist in the Copa del Rey and still in the Champions League... Was it something you imagined to achieve after an average season last year?
It's true that, after a very bad season last year, we didn't imagine to have a good season this year. But then you can never say at a club like Barcelona that after a bad season you're not going to fight to achieve important things. It's also true that our statistics are also very good and that surprises everyone, even the players. Obviously there are things to improve, months ahead and matches ahead, but we're happy with what we've achieved up to now.

Even so, now the team is fighting against a bad run of results that many call a crisis. Does it bother you to have people question everything the team has accomplished in such short time?
All the criticism, what the press writes about... it's fine to have people express their opinion and talk about bad runs or complicated situations. But all this questioning... Trying to find explanations is a waste of time and that bothers me a bit. We still have a lot of work ahead of us and of course we accept criticism. We have lost points and it's obvious it's because we were doing something wrong, but that's it. It's about facing mistakes, correcting them, but you can't just beat yourself over it because it's no use. Maybe the most important part of the season is about to start, and we can't waste our time on things that aren't worth it. We have to correct problems and move on.

You said Barcelona was the envy of Spain and some Madrid players agreed with you. It's always tougher to be the leader than the second seed.
Yes, there's a responsibility to keep being at the top of the table and always win games. People watch you, not just in Spain but in Europe. Any rival can make life difficult for you because all rivals are extra motivated when they play against us, whether that's at home or away and if they win, they feed from that the rest of the season. It's always tougher to be leader but we're convinced that the job we're doing is a good one and us players are doing the best we can.

An odd question, but do you prefer a calm league with a 12 point difference or do you prefer an exciting league where every match is a huge challenge?
It's a tough one! (laughs). It's difficult because it's not about points or figures. I think the truth is that whether it be 12 or 4 points, you have to suffer and suffer a lot to be league champions. No one wins a championship without sweating or without making an effort. With 12 or 4 points difference, you always have to make an effort, be committed and put in a lot of work. We were making a huge effort at Barcelona with 12 points and we still do with 4. We shall see how it all ends. We fully trust our work, which is the most important thing at the moment.

It's still three months to go for your holiday break and fighting in three competitions isn't easy.
It's not easy but it's also thanks to the amount of players you have. People may think of changing one competition for the other, but I don't agree. If we split the season into three cycles and we have three important competitions, it's because we want to do our best in all three. That's why it's unacceptable when people say one competition is in the way of the other or that it'll mean the team's tired to play, and I don't agree with that.

I imagine you want to go on holiday after a big celebration. Do you have any personal preference for one of the three competitions?
No, personally, I don't. For a club, the Champions League is always important; the Champions League is, after all, the Champions League, then the Spanish league and then the Copa. But then that depends on what people think on the outside. For us who are on this side, at the club working, the Copa has the same value as any other competition and to win it is just as tough as any other. Any of the three competitions is important to us.

England and Spain, with four teams per country in the Champions League, dominates European football in a way. Which do you think, of the two countries, is above the other and why?
It's tough to say. Fortunately, I experienced an important stage of my career playing at Arsenal for two seasons, where I grew to know the Premiership and how it worked. I have been in the Spanish league for eight years now and know it well too. The English, since the market opened, added good foreign players to their clubs and there was an important increase in the technical level of their football and I think that was a good addition to their game. With the intensity English clubs have, plus this quality, the level increased. That's why in the Champions League there's always one or two English clubs in the semi-finals or final. They're very strong, physically strong too. Spain has a different style; they have more technique and are also physically strong, but not as much as the English. It's a cultural question. Which one is better? I don't know, it's about preferring one or the other and I don't see the English better than the Spanish. Both are very strong.

Do you think the return leg at home against Lyon can be more complicated than it seems?
It's always, always complicated. We achieved a good result away from home but now we have 90 minutes ahead of us at home. I think the small advantage we have in the Champions League, and even if it's small it's still and advantage, is that we're playing at home and we can make the most of that. Lyon is a good team, has great players and it'll be a tough match.

Read the full interview here.


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