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The Chilean gave himself a 5 out of 10 when asked to rate his performance since he arrived at the Catalan Club, he added that “I can give a lot more of myself”

The Chilean played down Barça’s 8-point lead over Real Madrid and he noted that “we have a long way to go if we want to win the Liga”

Alexis Sánchez talked to the press this afternoon at the Ciutat Esportiva. A year after joining FC Barcelona, the team’s number 9 recognised that he’s yet to hit his best form. When asked to rate his performance as an Azulgrana, he didn’t hesitate to give himself a five out of 10 while adding, “the best Alexis hasn’t arrived yet.” The Chilean went on to say that “I can give a lot more of myself and I know how good of a player I am.”

Alexis’ goals for the new season

“I accept the criticism because it makes me stronger.” Alexis knows that in the world of football players can be scrutinized at any moment, but he noted that he prefers to use the scrutiny to improve his game. In order to improve, the Chilean said that “I have to let myself go a bit more and take on my marks more often.”

In addition, Alexis is aware that he’s responsible for “earning a spot in the starting line-up, I’m going to make it difficult for my team-mates – they’re going to have to work for it as well.”

Barça’s run in the Liga

The player also talked about Barça’s winning streak in the Liga and the eight-point advantage Barça have over Real Madrid – who visit the Camp Nou on October 7. The Chilean noted that while the Clásico is just around the corner, that he’s focused on the match against Sevilla: “On Saturday we have an important match. There’s a lot of Liga still yet to be played if we want to win the title.”

Finally, Alexis said that he’d bet on Leo Messi winning the Ballon d’Or this year.

The Barça president has spoken about how much he would like Xavi and Puyol, “two historic stars that will be difficult to match”, to see out the rest of their careers at FC Barcelona

Rosell also said that the coaching staff, and therefore the club, are interested in extending Cristian Tello’s contract

Sandro Rosell would be more than happy for both Xavi Hernández and Carles Puyol, who he considers “two historic stars that will be difficult to match”, to see out their professional careers wearing the FC Barcelona colours. “We would love both of them to hang up their boots at the club and never play professionally for any other team” he said.

Having already praised his captain, the president added that Xavi is “an example, a historic player that has beaten every record for appearances for the Club … I think he wants to end his career at Barça too, and I have no doubt that that will be the case.” The president was speaking at one of his many meetings arranged this week in New York, in this case a visit to the New York supporters club, located in Bar Smithfield, Chelsea, where he met up with an old friend, former player Rafa Márquez, who plays for the city’s MLS soccer club, the Red Bulls.

Tello’s contract

Rosell also spoke to the media about some of the latest issues affecting the club, including his intention to extend Cristian Tello’s contract, saying “he is one of the players we would like to keep with us. He is what Barça is looking for, youth products that will stay with us a long time. We have a lot of Catalans that grew up at the club and are now in the first team.”

As for the much talked about Brazilian, Neymar, Rosell said that “he is a Santos player until 2014, and he will stay there until then. It doesn’t matter”. Delighted with Tito Vilanova

Rosell also discussed the performance so far of Tito Vilanova on the first team bench, saying it has been “excellent. He’s in a very difficult job. It isn’t easy to replace a living Barça legend like Pep. He’s doing really well, I’d say excellently, given the pressure of taking over from somebody who has made history, is unforgettable and has set new standards for the club’s life and history.”

On the clásico at the Camp Nou on October 7, Rosell said that, like any meeting between Barça and Real Madrid, “you can never predict what is going to happen. This is one of the most open matches of the season … But we are going into this game with the utmost enthusiasm, we are very ready for it, we have the right attitude and we evidently want to look as strong as we can in front of our fans and around the world”. But he doesn’t think this particular encounter is any different to the others, neither because of the political climate in Catalonia at the moment nor the eight-point difference between the two teams. “This has only just started and there’s a long way to go yet in the league” he said.

As for the argument between Villa and Messi during the game with Granada, Rosell thinks it’s a lot of fuss about nothing. “We aren’t worried in the slightest. Anybody who has played football knows that arguments like this are all part of the game, and can even be positive for raising tension and morale”.

Sevilla, Benfica and Real Madrid. At the Sánchez Pizjuán, Barça play the first of three vital matches in which they could equal or even beat their best ever start to a Liga campaign, and also get their second win in the Champions League

The Barça first team is currently focused on their forthcoming game at the Sánchez Pizjuán. But the Sevilla fixture is just the first of three massively important dates for Tito Vilanova and the team in little more than a week. The second is in the Champions League group stage against Benfica on Tuesday October 2, and after that comes the clásico at the Camp Nou on the 7th. It’s going to be an exciting few days for FC Barcelona.

They go into the Sevilla game on the back of a one hundred per cent record of five wins out of five, and another three points at the Sánchez Pizjuán would equal the best ever start to the domestic championship, last achieved in 2009/10, Josep Guardiola’s second season in charge, and which ended with a record 99 points. Last year FCB won 2-0 in the Andalusian capital with goals from Xavi Hernández and Leo Messi.

Lisbon on Monday

There will be no time to rest. After training back in Barcelona the squad will then travel to Lisbon on Monday, where they’ll face Benfica on Tuesday. The last time FCB played at the Stadium of Light was in the UCL quarter finals of 2006. The game ended 0-0, but Barcelona won the return 2-0 to ensure a semi final against Milan. Shortly after, they best Arsenal in the final to win the European crown for the second time.

The third game is none other than the clásico at the Camp Nou. It is not long since Real Madrid’s last visit to the Catalan capital, for the Spanish Supercup first leg, in which Barça responded to an early opener from Ronaldo to end up winning 3-2 thanks to goals from Pedro, Messi and Xavi. If they can beat Sevilla and Madrid, Barça will set a new club record by starting a Liga season with seven consecutive wins.

The player is suffering from lumbago and did not train with the rest of the squad today, while Puyol and Adriano also worked separately

The session involved 17 first team players plus Tello, Sergi Roberto, Bañuz and Masip from the B team

Barça have continued preparing for the Liga game with Sevilla at the Sánchez Pizjuán. But the group at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper this morning did not include Sergio Busquets, who stayed in the gym to do specific work to help him with back pains.

Vilanova and 21 players

Manager Tito Vilanova worked with 17 first team players plus Barça B’s Tello, Sergi Roberto, Bañuz and Masip. Meanwhile, Adriano, with muscle problems, and Puyol, recovering from pulled cruciate ligaments in his left knee, worked out in isolation from the rest of the squad.