Roura: Villa is a real goalscorer, he'll get back to his best

Jan 11, 2013 12:50:00 AM

The stand-in boss was very impressed by his side's display in their comfortable win over Cordoba singling out David Villa and Alexis Sanchez for special praise

Barcelona technical assistant coach Jordi Roura believes striker David Villa will soon be back to his best.

Villa helped Barca stroll past Cordoba as the Catalans cruised to a 5-0 victory (7-0 on agg) to seal their passage into the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey to set up a clash with Malaga.

And although Roura was impressed with the whole Barcelona side, it was Villa that caught the eye most with two stunning goals.

"If there is something worth noting about this performance it is the attitude and ambition displayed by all the players," he told Marca.

"This was a game that we may have entered with a more conservative approach given our first leg victory. However, the desire to put on a show was evident in every player.

"I take my hat off to the players. They were exceptional in the first half and played with great intensity and to a very high level. Their attitude is remarkable and this needs to be recognised.

"Villa's goals were great. He is an exceptional player and he had a great match. It has showed us what we all know, that he is an important player for us.

"He's a real goalscorer and bit by bit, he'll get back to his best level and be even more important for us.

"Alexis helps us a lot, it's admirable how hard he works. It's a good thing he could score, that's important. He had several matches where he struggled to make it count. Today, fortunately, he has put that streak behind."

Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi did not take part in the match, though, Roura did admit that his plan was to introduce him into the game but that a change of circumstances made him change his mind.

He added: "The plan was for Messi to play a few minutes, but Sergi Roberto got injured and we made another sub.