Pique says Barcelona welcome challenge of new-look Real Madrid
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique says they welcome a revitalsed Real Madrid this season.
Madrid are set for a change in style under Jose Mourinho and Pique is relishing the tactical battles ahead between Guardiola and the Portuguese coach.
"It will be fun. They are two coaches with different styles, even though Mourinho says he is an attacking coach," he said.
"But Guardiola has shown you don't need the character of Mourinho to become a great team."
Guardiola is likely to select several of his Spain stars on Saturday in the Supa Copa return leg against Sevilla, while some of the side's young players also look set to receive another opportunity.
"Using the youth team is always an effective solution for Barca," Pique said.
"They shouldn't be doubted (despite the defeat in Seville). They have shown they can perform well and we have to place our confidence in them."
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Comments (14)
You madrid fans are a bunch of kids who come out every season and talk trash. Last season madrid wasted 265m euros on players like christina, kaka(shit), benzema, alonso and other, and you losers started saying that madrid will beat Barca, we will win the treble, christina will be the top scorer and the best player and guess what you failed at all of them. You spended over 265m euros and got beated by a third division team Alcocorn 4-0 in the Spanish Cup. There goes your treble. You got knocked out of the Champions League by Lyon in the 16th round for the 6th year in a row. I repeat, by Lyon, how embarassing was that. Where was christina, or kaka (the biggest flop in the world) or benzema who warmed the bench? you losers lost to Barca in Camp Nou and still started making excuses. You were beating other teams in la liga because the refs were paid to help madrid and you losers came one point behind Barca. You were running your mouths how you were going to beat Barca in bernaboooooooo and win la liga. Barca had injured players, that they did not have any attacking players that Alves had to play as an attacking right wing where Messi usually plays, and still Barca came to bernabooooo and beat you for the 4th time in a row. Where was christina? she has not scored a goal against Barca ever. Where was shit flop kaka? Where was bench warmer benzema? Or where was madrid? Did you see how Messi controled that ball in the air with his chest to get passed madrids defense to score against them. No wonder Messi is the best player in the world. Why do you think madrid spend over 265m euros last season? Because Barca was way too good that they won 6 trophies in 1 year that madrid knew they had no chance to beat Barca, so they went and wast 265m euros on new players. Now madrid gets mourinho and spends 94m euros this season just to keep up with Barca. They found out last season that spending 265m euros was not enough to catch Barca or beat them, now they get a new overrated coach who only choached teams with a lot of money that had great players and won trophies by cheating like with inter and Barcelona where the ref was ***** protugese and half owner of a restaurand with mourinho. No fals or penalties were called for Barca, why? Because the ref was mourinhos part owner of a restaurant. So now you madrid fans are doing the same thing this season. You are talking trash again, how madrid will beat Barca, how you losers will win the treble, and blah blah blah. But as I have always said to you loser madrid fans, what would your excuse be when Barca beats madrid and wins the treble and madrid does not? What? Please tell me a good excuse? Remember last season, Barca embarrassed you so called madrid deam with 265m euros players, now this season Barca will embarrase madrid with the 265m euros players plus mourinho plus the 94m euros new players. You madrid loser fans might be happy that you got a new overrated coach and new players but all I got to say is, remember that Barcelona team that beat you last season, now take that team and add David Villa the best striker in the world, plus Adriand to that team and you will see what you get, a total humiliation for madrid. Madrid knows that Barca in every area they have better players, better attack, better midfield, better defense, heck even a better keeper. Iker is overrated, he has never won a zamorra trophy which goes to the best keeper in la liga who conceeds the least goals, Valdes has 4 zamorra trophies. Iker has conceeded over 200 goals in the last 3 season. You find a better attacking than Villa--Ibra--Messi or a better midfield than Iniesta--Busquet--Xavi or a better defense than Adriano--Puyol--Pique--Alves. You can go and compare players head to head and see that Barca has way better players. Villa > higuain, Messi > christina, Ibra > benzema, Iniesta > kaka, Xavi > alonso, Busquet > khaida or diarras, Adriano > marchelo, Maxwell > arboela, Puyol > pepe, Pique > abiol, Alves > ramos, and Valdes > iker and the reason I say Valdes > iker is because look at the last 5 years, Valdes has won 4 zamorras iker 0, Valdes has won more trophies with the club than iker has, Valsed has conceeded way less goals than iker has, so the facts speak for themselves. So next time madrid fans, don't talk about Barca, win a trophy first or at least try to beat Barca for once than maybe you might have a little bit of room to talk about Barca, other wise, shut up and enjoy the beutifull football of Barcelona, because I guarantee you madrid fans will get bored of 10 men boring defensive tactics of overrated mourinho, Barcas translator. Visca Barcelona!!!!!!!!!!!
Winning ugly has not been a problem for Real during the last four seasons, they are somehow able to do just enough to get three points, even if the opponent scores first. So they dont have any room for improvement left in that category. Mourinho tries to turn them into a brutal and aggressive counter attacking team but I am sure that he noticed very soon that RM cant match his former team. Due to his tactics they have smaller margin for error than earlier, they won score 100 goals this season. He wanted to reconstruct the whole defence line but instead of Vidic, Cashley and Maicon he got only one veteran defender. I wish that Barca had a bit larger squad but their first eleven is second to none, they are the team to beat, if they wont win both Liga and CL then they have failed. You cant beat them without some kind of screwjob or controversy, Del Bosque was surely a happy man after Barca had to rest eight key players last Saturday. Kaka aint even a top 50 player anymore, but still many people rate him highly thanx to his old merits, but he was never even the best player in Serie A
Real Madrid would be my pick for favourites to win the league. Mourinho is a very good manager, and they will win it by playing ugly. That's what winning is sometimes. Barcelona are a fine team to watch, but I think they don't like it when they have to get their hands dirty.
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