Barcelona's coach Frank Rijkaard holds his first press conference of the season, signifying the beginning of all things.


FC Barcelona's coach, Frank Rijkaard has a lot of weight on his shoulders as all eyes are on Barca to not only redeem themselves from the shadows of last season, but to live up to very high expectations from fans and foes alike, after high profile signings this summer. Reflecting on the just ended season and with better focus on the upcoming one, Frank Rijkaard says:

The players don’t want to repeat last year’s experience. We shall strive to make things better. Last season's experience is an added motivation for this season. We shall start again from zero. This is a unique opportunity.

Frank Rijkaard wants to strike a unique accord among all the players to foster team spirit and understanding well ahead of the main season's commencement of the La Liga matches. Speaking of the progress made so far, Rijkaard said :

The players are behaving very well. We are all human and things happen. These are normal things in life. Now is not the time to talk about these things. We have a big squad, but little by little we will find solutions. Ideally, I will love to work with not less than twenty three players and not more than twenty-six players for the 2007-08 season.

Responding to latest news about transfer options for both FC Barcelona's players namely Samuel Eto'o and Andres Iniesta, Rijkard says :

All of the players are delighted to be at Barça and want to be successful here. They are all happy and enthusiastic.

Coach Frank Rijkaard also said that Frenchman Thierry Henry will play some minutes during Barca's tour of Scotland this July in order to fine tune Thierry into full action as the goal king follows a steady path toward recovery.

Frank Rijkaard also spoke on Bojan Krkic, saying that the young and talented goal machine must look ahead to an important year this season. Rijkaard spoke in confirmation of the Barcelona senior team's plans to use both Bojan Krkic and Giovanni Dos Santos for the A team's games in the 2007-08 season. Coach Frank said :

This is an important year for both Bojan Krkic and Giovanni Dos Santos. They are squad players and, without pressure, we will see what role they play. They are two highly talented players and I am happy for them. This will be an important year for them.