Victor Valdes is sad about Toure Yaya's absence, while maintaining that Barca have not been off-form at any point this season.


FC Barcelona's safe hands, Victor Valdes has lamented the latest injury to hit Camp Nou. Midfield stabilizer, Toure Yaya was confirmed to have muscular problems and will be out for a minimum of four weeks. This implies the role which the ex-Monaco star has carved out for himself in Barca will be left gaping, as it'll be difficult to find a suitable replacement who will have the same effect in the same role as the strong Ivorien star. Valdes cried out:

Toure Yaya's absence is a big blow for us. He has been a very important player for us and it is a pity for the team that he has been injured. We will have to find an alternative for him as he recovers, but we do hope he recovers very soon.

Valdes rejects the claim that FC Barcelona have hit form in recent times, saying that the team had always been on form right from the start, but couldn't secure the needed results as a result of dearth in goals:

There has been a wrong notion, but that is understandable as the media have been sending out the wrong signals. The team has never really played very badly right from the start. I don't think that the team has changed. I think that the media have talked a lot, but we have been the same, only the results have started to arrive. We have done things well, we have taken advantage of our chances and, above all, we have held possession. This is what we had been doing all along, right from the match against Santander. We were only unlucky infront of goal, but now we are more fortunate and the goals are coming.

Barca hope to continue their recent goal haul against German side VfB Stuttgart in Germany on Tuesday.

Barca's Second choice keeper Albert Jorquera is no longer willing to sit on the fence. Valdes is up for stiffer competition this season.


The competition in FC Barcelona this season has also extended to the goal post, as the new signing of young Oeir Olazabal has thrown open the second choice contest between the new keeper and Barca's traditional second choice keeper, Albert Jorquera. However, Jorquera is keen on throwing open the first choice keeper position between him and his teammate, Victor Valdes. Jorquera wants more action and will not mind having it this season. On this issue and the general team set up, the goal keeper says:

This is the time for making internal analysis and making sure the season gets off to a good start. Everybody can play, nobody is irreplaceable. It is an advantage to have all these forwards and it also means players will get to rest. As for me, I start the same way each season. I know the situation well, but I won’t stop fighting and working hard. I won’t be slouching.

Jorquera praised the first choice keeper, Valdes, saying that Victor deserved to be Spain's first choice keeper as well, instead of Palop:

Víctor is more than good enough to play for Spain. I am surprised he doesn’t get picked after all he has done, but that is the manager’s personal decision and there are some very good goalkeepers in Spain.

On the possibilty of FC Barcelona winning this season's Spanish league title as well as the Champions League, the goalkeeper is very positive:

Barca has enormous potential and this time around, we are very keen indeed. Coach Frank Rijkaard has not changed the procedures, but our attitude has changed due to self-demands as a result of the new signings.

Valdes is very optimistic about the new Blaugrana.


Victor Valdes is one man who is happy with things happening in the new Barca team. The gifted goalkeeper spoke in Hong Kong, sharing his opinion on what is takling place in the affairs of the Catalan giants :

Barca has lived up to expectation. We have worked hard. The level was very high and excellently high demands were made. We have played some highly competitive games until now. Have been very comfortable for working on. It is the normal kind of temperature for this time of year, except today, when it rained a lot. We are doing well, but there are still a few days to go before we can say we are on top form. But the team has shown in the games that we are in good physical condition, and that will help us reach full fitness quickly.

Valdes, who is very impressed with the progress being made by French star, Thierry Henry in his development at Barca, also sounded his happiness with latest rave, Giovanni Dos Santos :

Giovanni is a striker that gets fully involved in the team’s work. His appearance on the scene has been brilliant. He’s got so much quality and is one of the best players in the one on one in the world today.

Speaking on the new Barca goalkeeper, Oier Olazábal who made his début in Beijing , Valdes says :

Oier is a good goalkeeper, but he is young and still has a few things to work on, like anybody. I will be helping him as much as I can.

Olazabal is 17 years old and has been signed to support and under-study Barcelona's first choice keeper, Victor Valdes.

Should the Blaugrana wind of change blow across the FC Barcelona goalkeeping area as well?


With every department in FC Barcelona undergoing changes and necessary transformation, attention will naturally shift to the goal keeping area as well. Different opinions indicate a split in percetion from various quarters of what barcelona need to do to secure the Blaugrana goal posts. While some support the continuity of the seemingly one-man army of Victor Valdes between the Barca goal posts, others believe another quality goalkeepr is needed in Camp Nou to gaurantee the maximium saftey of the Catalan goal.
Names like Oscar Ustari, the Argentine keeper recently snapped up by Getafe, while others mention Italian safe hands Buffon. Other mentions still go as far as Toldo, the Italian keeper noted for stopping all sorts of penalties and who shown ever so brightly in the Euro 2000 Competition, taking Italy to the final. Many names continue to file in. The issues at hand go beyong just getting another quality goalkeeper like Valdes. The question is, how many world class keepers can stay on the bench for as long as the first choice keeper stays in between the first team's goal posts? It will be a difficult situation to confine a world class keeper to a permanent position not on the field of play, but on the reserve bench. However, some quarters believe that even though FC Barcelona sign another world class keeper, such a keeper will not need to stay on the bench on a permanent basis, but can regularly relieve Valdes from excess duty by the reserve keeper also having regular showings in other matches or coming as a substitute for Valdes in regular La Liga and European championship games next season. The only negative efffect this will have is the possibility of a loss in form by Valdes due to a frequently interrupted programme if he is changed on regular basis. Also, the thought of expecting to be substituted at any given point in time may unsettle Valdes psycologically, an occurrence that will unsettle the gifted keeper and thus, produce a weaker goal post service for the Blaugrana.


As the debate continues and opinions are shared, perhaps greater training of reserve keepers already in Barca may be one other option which may be considered, if the aspect of searching out a very promising and upcoming keeper around the Spain or outside of it is not taken. orherwise, another world class keeper can always be brought in to create healthy competition if such competition is needed in the first place.

the FC Barcelona players were obviously disappointed by the result but are hoping to have another crack to win the FIFA Club world Cup next year.


The following are comments of some Barca players after the match:


Víctor Valdés:

It was a shame, that was the second final we have lost this year. It was difficult against such a good team. They played on the counter attack a lot and were in great physical condition. And they create a lot of pressure, while we just didnt take our chances. We will be recovered in time for Thursday. Today was a final, when you forget about what your fitness is like. It is hard to get here, you have to win the Champions League, but we will try. We have to turn the page, look ahead, we have a nice season ahead of us with the League and Champions league.

Thiago Motta:

We created chances like they did. It was a fairly even match. But they scored in the end. Now we need to start looking ahead. Internacional is a hard team to play against, they all helped each other in defence. They defend and make counter attacks and that can be dangerous.

Andrés Iniesta:

This was a unique chance and that's why it hurts. We needed a bit more freshness over the last few meters. We were on target the other day against America, but we couldn't score today. While on one of their few occasions, they did manage to score. Now we need to lift our heads up and carry on. The grass was a bit dry. It was good for us the other day against America but today perhaps it was better for them, not that this is an excuse.