On this Friday´s official press conference prior to the match against Deportivo, Frank Rijkaard expressed his confidence to defend the title this season. Rijkaard is satisfied with the way the team is working and also believes it would be right for Saviola to stay at the club.


Here is a selection of his pre-match comments:

The most important thing is for us to keep working as we go into the final stages of the season. The players are here to achieve something big. That is our motivation. There will always be news and rumours but the squad is working hard and the dynamics are positive.

Ronaldinho always makes an effort on the pitch and that is very important. We want our players to stay with us and for them to be happy here at Barca. I don’t think I have any players that need to work harder, they always do their best on the pitch and that has always been very important for us, and always will be.

Ronaldinho has always said that he is happy at Barça and he is under contract. The club does all it can to make sure players feel good here, and once again, the most important thing is for us to fight hard to achieve something big for the club and its members. There is nothing else to be said on the matter.

I think, Saviola deserves to stay. He is a very effective footballer. He is working hard but we’ll just have to wait and see what comes out the negotiations.

The decision not to select Saviola has nothing to do with what he said this week. I spoke to him after training. I have seven forwards to choose from and I have picked five. You always have to choose. That does not mean he will not be playing in other games. He will get his chances.

This game can’t be compared to the one we played earlier this season. Playing Barca at the Camp Nou is a motivation for any team, and that means Deportivo too. But we just have to worry about ourselves. We’ll soon see whether they have come to play defensively or offensively. But we are aware of our own strengths.

Joan Verdú is a player that doesn’t get to start much but he is very creative. He has that special something that can turn a game. He’s very promising, he has that little bit extra. Playing at Deportivo, all he can do is get better.

I am delighted at how well things are going for Cristian, because he’s a very generous person. Coaches love him because he does all the dirty work. He’s coming on very well.