Let the dead bury the dead. Perhaps Sylvinho won't mind suggesting this as the new motto for FC Barcelona, even it's just for this season only!!


Sylvinho is ready to win titles with Barca this season, and to do this, the Brazilian believes the right state of mind has to be attained. For this to happen, the left-back has kept insisting that the past must be forgotten and the present problems given total attention in order to accomplish goals in the future. This is the formula Sylvinho is presenting once again to the Blaugrana and hopes it will be adopted. Starting his reference from the nightmares of the last soccer season in both Spain and Europe, and commenting on the next match against Osasuna in the La Liga, Sylvinho says:

It’s time to look forward. If we do things right, we can achieve important things. The truth is we finished last season disappointed because things didn’t turn out the way we wanted. We suffered a lot and the final outcome hurt us all. Personally, however, I prefer to think of the future. We have to look ahead and try and learn from our mistakes because we’ve got a lot of important matches and important competitions to come. We’ve got a very difficult match in Pamplona and we’ll have to give 100%. We all know that Osasuna make it tough on their home ground. We have two or three days to prepare this match and we hope we’ll have all our players available to try and take the three points.

Sylvinho also commended the brave young players of the reserve team, Barca B who held their own against tough senior teams of both Girona and Gimnastic in the Copa Catalunya, beating Girona and falling to a late winner against Nastic in the cup final. The Brazilian and his teammate, Ezquerro, both anchored the team in the absence of other senior team players. Sylvinho praises the youngsters:

The best things I saw were the dedication and professionalism of every player from the senior squad and the attitude of the youngsters, which was incredible. These are people who are pushing very hard and are working very seriously.

Taking a little diversion from on-field soccer to football in the office, Sylvinho made a quick comment on the official statement from FC Barcelona's president, Joan Laporta which suggested that players had to be selectively called by their national teams and also be made available to the clubs when the players are not in international action. Laporta also sought for a form of compensation from countries when club players return injured from international duty. The Brazilian left-back grazed the surface of the issue, prefering to leave the matter for the experts to handle:

This is more a political matter than a personal one. There is a series of regulations and we players very rarely have the final word or the right to choose. A player wants to serve his national team and his club with the same dedication. I don’t believe it will be sorted out in the short term.

FC Barcelona's Brazilian left-back, Sylvinho is quick to discard any glorious ratings for Real Madrid.


Sylvinho is not shaken by the first two wins of Madrid, saying with the reason that there's still a long road that lies ahead for every team. Sylvinho believes that the League is far from over, infact, very far indeed, and is resolute that Barca will come back better in subsequent matches:

The La liga has just begun. The race is far from over. Real Madrid have a great squad with good players. That doesn't mean they are better than Barcelona or than the rest of the teams in the La Liga. Things change very fast in La Liga and one needs to look to consistency. It's true we at Barca did not start as wanted. We know we can do better, but it also depends on the quality of opposition and strategy being used. Our opponents are naturally afraid of Barca and the capability we have to score high number of goals. Our rivals make things very difficult for us, close us down, do everything possible to prevent us from breaking forward. So it seems that Barcelona doesn't press forward or attack, but I know instead that they are making it difficult. That doesn't mean we won't continue to perform well. We always want the points and we'll keep winning. The end will determine who wins.

Speaking on the current FC Barcelona squad and aspirations, Sylvinho was optimistic:

There is a lot of excitement. We see the desire and quality of the new signings, but it's shared in all of us, newcomers and veterans alike. We want to win the Liga and gain success.

Sylvinho praised teammate Eric Abidal and the French international's display at Camp Nou:

Eric's a player with a great European career, and he's arrived at Barcelona to help us with the challenges to come. But with a schedule so tight, surely the trainer will use all the players. And I must be prepared when he calls on me.

FC Barcelona´s Gianluca Zambrotta is out of the squad at the last minute after suffering a knee injury and will be replaced by Brazilian left back Sylvinho.


The Italian world cup winner was examined by the Barca´s doctors around lunch time and decided, although the injury was not serious, it would be better that he will be rested for the match against Getafe. after consulting the medical department coach Frank Rijkaard decided not to put the former Juventus defender at risk.


Sylvinho was called in to the squad immediately having originally been excluded from the 18 men team against Getafe.

FC Barcelona´s left full back Sylvinho believes strongly that Ronaldinho will stay for a long time at Barca.
The Brazilian magician with the No. 10 has been linked with a move to AC Milan and even to the Major League Soccer recently, but his fellow countryman Sylvinho is convinced that Ronaldinho is married to the European champions and will stay for a long time at the Camp Nou:

Dinho is key to this club and it is necessary that Barcelona work through any questions to keep him at the team. He has brought much joy to the club and a positive change since his arrival. For me the pairing of Ronaldinho and Barcelona is like a marriage and there is an obligation to keep the union. I see Ronaldinho as being very happy at Barcelona, he is comfortable with the club. For me he is the best player in the world.

Below are the comments of some of the FC Barcelona players after the game:


Andres Iniesta:

The sending off affected us. Playing with ten men is always difficult because the team must give something even more. But I think that in the end a draw was a good result after everything that we put in.
Their first goal came very early and then the red card were big blows to us, but we have shown that we can react in situations like that. The team never gave up believing and we carried on going despite being behind on the scoreboard.
The result has now put us back on top, but we will have to see what Sevilla do tomorrow. The league is very even and it will not be decided until the end. The squad here knows that. To win a third consecutive title would be incredible.

Lilian Thuram:

It was a very strange game. I think the referee has excessively influenced the final result. I think that he was too heavily involved throughout the game. The game has left with me not feeling good. To play at home and draw is not positive, but as the game went on and after everything that happened a point is also not too bad.
The 3-4-3 system is not a problem for me. We played that in Parma for many years, with three defenders, and therefore I have a lot of experience playing like that.

Victor Valdés:

Conceding a goal after six minutes messed up our plans. The sending off was not a huge turning point, but it did change the way that we had to play slightly. We wanted to win the game and we have had to leave a lot space at the back. Madrid used that to create a lot of danger against us. But we never gave up even though we played for a long time with ten men. I am happy on a personal level, but I wanted the team to win and today we could not so there is a bad taste in the mouth.

Sylvinho:

It was a typical game against Madrid. From the start it was all over the place. The red card shown to Oleguer changed us. It is difficult to play with a man less and even more so when you are behind.In the end, the coach changed the team well on the pitch and I think that we would not have deserved to go away with a defeat.
I think that people really enjoyed the game. It has been a real classic with a lot of goals and good football and it must have been fun to watch.