Barcaloco – Everything for the Barça fan

Though the players who participated in the World Cup did not attend, ten players from the first team (Pinto, Maxwell, Milito, Adriano, Víctor Sánchez, Keita, Hleb, Bojan, Ibrahimovic and Jeffren) along with eighteen from Barça B (Oier, Miño, Masip, Dalmau, Sergi Gómez, Armando, Fontàs, Muniesa, Martí Riverola, Ilie, Víctor Vázquez, Sergi Roberto, Jonathan dos Santos, Edu Oriol, Tello, Benja, Jonathan Soriano and Nolito) were present on Monday to undergo medical tests to begin the pre-season.

The B team began their training following testing with the first team holding off until Tuesday to begin their training.  The preseason will officially get underway on Thursday, July 29, when the team travels to Oslo to take on Norwegian side Valerenga in a friendly match.  Following the friendly the club will travel to Asia to play two more exhibition matches.

This morning Pep Guardiola met with the media for an hour at the Camp Nou to give an overview of his 2010/2011 squad.   He commented on the recent departures of key players Thierry Henry and Yaya Toure.  In the case of Henry, Guardiola commented, “It’s been a real pleasure to have worked with him,” but he did say that it was Henry’s decision to leave the club for MLS side New York Red Bulls.  But that recent signing David Villa would serve as the perfect replacement for the Frenchman.

In the case of Toure, Guardiola sounded quite disappointed in losing the midfielder saying, “it’s a big loss for us. I understand that he’s a player who wants to play more often, particularly in the big games and I couldn’t give him all the opportunities he wanted. He’s an impressive athlete, an extraordinary lad who I had a good relation with, but he wanted out. I did everything possible to keep him - everything and more. I feel very bad about it, but I hope he finds what we couldn’t give him at City”. 

He also commented on the somewhat surprising departure of Chygrynskiy, who only played under Guardiola for one season before returning to the club from which he came. “I know it looks like I’m a liar because I said he would stay, but even though I have my views, the interest of the club must come first and the President told me we had to sell him. The economic question always holds sway over my opinions,” said Guardiola.

The two question marks with the club remains Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Rafa Marquez both having been rumored to be making a move away from the Camp Nou.  Simply put Guardiola addressed both by saying that each is a quality player and that they alone need to decide if they want to remain with the club.  Marquez seems to be the most likely to leave with rumors pointing to a reunion with Henry at New York.  If that is the case look for Abidal to get more playing time in the middle along with Keita.

Guardiola addressed the four players (Henrique, Hleb, Sánchez and Keirrison) who were out on loan for Barça last season.  Saying that he would like them to go out on loan again this season but if that were not possible he would “try and find a way out for them.”

Of course any Barça press conference would not be complete if the subject of Cesc Fabregas did not come up.  So Guardiola addressed the question on everyone’s mind.  What about Cesc?

 “I can understand that he is an important player at Arsenal. They know that we want him. He’s a top player, young, educated here at this club and taken away from us when he was just 15,” commented Guardiola.  He is aware though that the signing of the 23 year old is going to be difficult.