Great odes and praises for Barca stars by their delighted coach.



Feeling justified and let-off from his critics, Rijkaard was glowing in the post-match press conference after the 4-0 thrashing of Real Murcia. The coach was breathing a much lighter air of relief after the Catalan giants not only won, but played good football all through, especially in the second half when Bojan, Eo'o and Henry produced electrifying pace and skill to jolt the opposition from the visitors and thrill the fans endlessly. The grateful frank Rijkaard had praises for each of his three brilliant strikers, while also praising the whole team and other players. Rijkaard spoke:

We have shown what our squad can do. We should take note of men like Sylvinho, Zambrotta, Thuram and Guddy, who created good sensations, and raised confidence. There is a lot of league and competition to go.

Rijkaard had a message to the Barca fans who have started to get impatient with the star-studded squad for below the line performance. The courageous coach said:

We have to believe in the team more. We shouldn’t doubt and should support the team when they need it. Before opening the scoring you have to fight and suffer. The depth in the first half was not as good as in the second, but we worked hard. What we saw early on was a very well organised Murcia, playing well and effectively. They left a good impression. It is always important to open up the game when you play a side that keeps it tight at the back. In that sense, we should congratulate Bojan because he played intelligently on the right and contributed to the win in that role.

Elated with Thierry Henry's performance, the happy Dutchman was full of praises for the rampaging Frenchman, Thierry Henry. Rijkaard said of Henry:

I was not surprised by his performance. He participated in everything he could and is playing perfectly, showing his class. He was the main player and deserves it. He can contribute a lot to the team.

On Eto'o who is leaving for Ghana to play the African nations Cup, Rijkaard said of the Cameroonian who scored twice:

It was a good way to say goodbye to him for a while. I wish him a good tournament and hope and he comes back in good condition.