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Javier Mascherano: Barcelona must respect Santos in Club World Cup final
The Argentine midfielder stated that his side will not be relaxed against the Brazilian club, while Carles Puyol conceded that David Villa's injury is a heavy blow to the team
15 Dec 2011 17:44:00
By Luis Mira
Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano says his side are wary of the threat posed by Santos in Sunday's Club World Cup final.
The Catalan giants earned their passage into the final following a 4-0 victory against Qatari side Al Sadd in Yokohama on Thursday.
The Argentine discredited the notion that his native country's football rivalry with Brazil will add a special feeling to the match, but noted that defeating Muricy Ramalho's side will not be an easy task.
"The final will not be special because I am Argentine," he told reporters. "Obviously that this is a final, we want to win it because it is an important trophy to us. We will try to do the right thing to get the trophy.
"Santos are really good, they have important players up front, like Neymar and Ganso.
"I know they are experienced, because I played in Brazil, and their coach is very clever. They are in the final, so we have to respect them."
The former Liverpool man also noted that Al Sadd's defensive approach to the game caused Barca some problems in the earlier stages of the match.
"I think the first 20-25 minutes were not easy, we could not find spaces to move forward," Mascherano explained.
"But after the first goal, we calmed down and we started to find the spaces to attack better. After the second goal the game was almost finished."
Meanwhile, Carles Puyol admitted that the broken leg sustained by David Villa during the game is a heavy blow to his side, saying: "All injuries are painful, but this is more painful because Villa is highly regarded.
"The only thing we can do is be with him and wish him a speedy recovery. Not having Villa for the final will be a special motivation, we will try to dedicate the victory to him."
The Barca captain then acknowledged that his side will need to turn in a good performance to defeat the Copa Libertadores winners in the final.
"It is clear that playing the final will be different; we will face another team, who are at another level, they have very good players who know well how to play the ball," Puyol added.
"We know that if we are not focused, we cannot win. The important thing is to play a good game, give our best and take the victory.
"The finals are always 50-50, especially if one is playing against a good team like Santos. We will have to be at our best.
"Neymar is a great player who makes the difference, he is very good in one-on-one situations and it will be very hard to defend him."
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The Catalan giants earned their passage into the final following a 4-0 victory against Qatari side Al Sadd in Yokohama on Thursday.
The Argentine discredited the notion that his native country's football rivalry with Brazil will add a special feeling to the match, but noted that defeating Muricy Ramalho's side will not be an easy task.
"The final will not be special because I am Argentine," he told reporters. "Obviously that this is a final, we want to win it because it is an important trophy to us. We will try to do the right thing to get the trophy.
"Santos are really good, they have important players up front, like Neymar and Ganso.
"I know they are experienced, because I played in Brazil, and their coach is very clever. They are in the final, so we have to respect them."
The former Liverpool man also noted that Al Sadd's defensive approach to the game caused Barca some problems in the earlier stages of the match.
"I think the first 20-25 minutes were not easy, we could not find spaces to move forward," Mascherano explained.
"But after the first goal, we calmed down and we started to find the spaces to attack better. After the second goal the game was almost finished."
Meanwhile, Carles Puyol admitted that the broken leg sustained by David Villa during the game is a heavy blow to his side, saying: "All injuries are painful, but this is more painful because Villa is highly regarded.
"The only thing we can do is be with him and wish him a speedy recovery. Not having Villa for the final will be a special motivation, we will try to dedicate the victory to him."
The Barca captain then acknowledged that his side will need to turn in a good performance to defeat the Copa Libertadores winners in the final.
"It is clear that playing the final will be different; we will face another team, who are at another level, they have very good players who know well how to play the ball," Puyol added.
"We know that if we are not focused, we cannot win. The important thing is to play a good game, give our best and take the victory.
"The finals are always 50-50, especially if one is playing against a good team like Santos. We will have to be at our best.
"Neymar is a great player who makes the difference, he is very good in one-on-one situations and it will be very hard to defend him."
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| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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Santos Futebol Clube - Fluminense
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