The manager praised his men for how they played against Athletic Club: “I’m sure we’ll win a lot of games and will be there when it comes time to fight for titles if we continue to play this way”
Vilanova is convinced that he’d still be on the losing end of any comparisons with his former boss, Pep Guardiola: “These past four years are unrepeatable in every regard”
Tito Vilanova has led FC Barcelona to the best start in the history of La Liga. It’s a record that clearly satisfies him but it didn’t overshadow his joy with how his men played tonight’s game against Athletic Club. “I’m pleased that we broke the record but I’m even more pleased with how the players interpreted the game.” He added: “Even though we were up 1-5 we kept on pressing them with the intention of scoring more. If we continue down this path I’m sure we’ll win a lot of matches and we’ll be there when it comes time to fight for silverware.”
“We were intense in the individual match-ups”
Despite the comfortable with over Athletic Club, the manager knew that the game against Bielsa’s men wouldn’t be a walk in the park. “Athletic have a different way of playing than the rest because they never let up, they never give you time to think.” Vilanova added that “if you don’t play at an intense pace, Athletic can make it very complicated for you.” In addition, the manager went on to say that “we were very intense in our individual match-ups, we took risks and we were on target in front of goal. Even though the end result shows a big difference, it wasn’t an easy match.”
“Guardiola’s four years are unrepeatable”
When he took charge of the first team, Vilanova declared that he’d be on the losing end of any comparisons with his former boss. Even with the best-ever start to La Liga under his belt, the Catalan manager hasn’t changed his mind. “Those four years are unrepeatable because of everything that was done, because of the titles, because of how the team played. I’m very proud that I was part of it.” He added: “I’ve only been in charge for a very short time.”
Finally, Vilanova announced that Bartra, Alves and Alexis, all injured, are recovering according to plan. “They joined the team at the end of this week. They’re recovering according to plan, in fact, Alexis is ahead of schedule.”