Five-Star Barcelona Pleases Guardiola

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was delighted with his team’s stunning performance against Sporting Clube de Portugal overnight and he singled out one player for special mention.

Despite having already secured qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League, Barcelona did not sacrifice their all-out attacking football philosophy as they romped to a sumptuous 2-5 win over Sporting Clube last night.

It was a performance that delighted coach, Pep Guardiola as the victory all but ensured the Blaugrana advanced to the last 16 as Group C winners.

“It’s a great feeling to have secured first place, just as it was when we earned qualification in our previous game,” Guardiola said during the post-match conference.

“The pitch was very tough and it made it difficult for us because it slowed down the game.

“But we had a good first half and we tried to play at a very high tempo. The second half was a bit bizarre but after we made it 2-4, we were able to calm down again,” he added.

The 37 year old then praised his fringe players who were given a rare chance to shine: “Those who have not been playing much did a wonderful job and I am very satisfied with their performance.

“(Gerard) Piqué was almost perfect. He performed really well and I’m happy for him. He’s still young and he still has a lot to learn because sometimes he tends to relax,” explained Guardiola, who concluded by congratulating Sporting for their first ever qualification to the Champions League knockout round.