Along with Messi and Henry, other Barcelona players made their post-match comments and shared their opinions with the press.


Captain Carles Puyol went further to welcome Almeria to play defensively like Rangers did, believing that Barca will make teams who play like-wise pay for their sins against positive football. Almeria are Barca's next opponents in the Spanish La Liga and are visiting Camp Nou this weekend to face a fuming Barca.


Carles Puyol:

Although we didn’t score, the point will do us good. We went looking for the win at all times, we worked very hard. I liked our attitude. It was a game in which we had a lot of the ball because the opposition played it tight at the back, we were just missing a goal. At home against Almeria, we hope we can get three points, I hope it is a similar game to this one.

Andrés Iniesta:

If we win at home it will be a good point. In European competition it is important to draw away from home. In games like this, if you are lucky enough to score you can do more, but we were unlucky in front of goal. It is important that we are still leaders, but especially considering the first half, we get the feeling we have dropped two points.

Víctor Valdés:

Barça looked impressive against a very physical team and the only thing we didn’t do was score. We get the feeling that we can make this draw count in the next game at home.

Gaby Milito:

We need to keep collecting points and stay top. We are calm because we did all we could.

Barca's midfield creativo, Andres Iniesta is bracing up for tough times in Scotland.


FC Barcelona's Andres Iniesta has admitted that the Champions League match against Rangers will be a tough one for the Blaugrana, and says that Barca must play with intensity if it hopes to win the match. Iniesta, who has been a key player for Barca last season and this season, believes FC Barcelona are ready for the Scottish challenge and relies on Barca's superior technical skills and experience to see them through. Iniesta said:

It is a crucial match, because we both have six points and the winner of the match will take a huge step towards the next round of the competition. If we don’t play with lots of intensity, we will be in for a very bad match. We have to make the difference with other things. It will be a very intense and complicated match, because these types of teams play with lots of intensity.

Youthful and creative Iniesta is happy with his squad's weekend performance.


Impressive Andres Iniesta, who has been in great form for both his club FC Barcelona and his country Spain, is delighted after helping Spain upstage hosts Denmark 3-1 in the EURO 2008 qualifiers played over the weekend. Iniesta was in high spirits after wards and declared his satisfaction with the Spanish stars, while expressing optimism for the future. The 23 year old star said:

We played a great game and completely controlled the first part and gave a good account of ourselves in the second. People said before that a draw would be worth playing for but, instead, now we're one step away from the European Championship.

Spain are now six points clear of Northern Ireland and are tied with Sweden at the top, having played one more game than their two main qualification opponents.

Andres Iniesta is the new number 8 man for Barcelona.


Having left for AS Roma of Italy for a new life in the Serie A, former Barca star Giuly has left his number 8 shirt vacant and without any trustee. That was before Iniesta stepped up few days ago to asume ownership of Ludo's shirt Number 8.
Since the 1995-96 season when fixed shirt numbers became the norm in the Spanish First Division, the Number 8 jersey in FC Barcelona have been worn by five players, namely Amor (1995-96), Stoichkov (1996-98), Celades (1998-99), Cocu (1999 – 2004) and Giuly (2004-07). Iniesta will be the sixth player to wear the Number 8 shirt. Speaking on this development, the young Spanish star says :

I’ve always liked the number eight shirt and I wore it a few times in the youth teams and for Spain. I’m a bit sad to give up the number 24 shirt but I’m excited about wearing number 8. The chance has come up now that Giuly has left. I wish him the best of luck in his new life in Italy.

Iniesta is an important part of Barca's midfield and feels the shirt labelled 8 with better reflect his role and operational area in the Barcelona midfield. The former youth star is bracing up for a more challenging season in which Andres, having built up a strong profile for himself in Barcelona especially in the past two seasons, will be looked upon to deliver unblemished work while maintaing his enviable position in the Blaugrana midfield.

Real Madrid have been identified as the next biggest speculators after AC Milan in the quest for Barcelona's players.


FC Barcelona's Spanish arch rivals, Real Madrid have reprtedly been secret admirers of Barca's youthful talent, Andres Iniesta, who has been instrumental in securing the Blaugran midfield in recent times. This follows a report coming from Madrid based officials about having vested interest in the 23 year-old midfield gem. A section of the Madrid media have even begun to praise Iniesta as a future Los Merengues player, stating :

Iniesta knows how to deliver the ball to feet or into the hole on the least possible time and to the right player. The Manchego-born player belongs to a rare class of football players that can regulate the concept of space and time in their heads before moving their feet to carry out the action.

Madrid have recently snapped up Barcelona's youth star, Javier Saviola and hopes to break more herats by convincing Iniesta to join Saviola. However, this will be a very difficult task to accomplish, considering that Iniesta is under lock and key in Camp Nou due to the creative players importance to the Blaugrana. Also, Andres has never shown interest in joining Real which otherwise, would have improved the Spanish clubs chances of landing the former junior wonder kid. With a double no from both Club and player, Madrid's chance of signing Iniesta is running below the zero point.