- Title: Barcelona look ahead to FIFA Club World Cup
- Date: 30th November 2015
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (NOVEMBER 30, 2015) (REUTERS) WIDE OF TRAINING BRAZILIAN DEFENDER DANI ALVES WITH OTHER PLAYERS DURING TRAINING GERMAN KEEPER TER STEGEN ARRIVING FOR TRAINING FORWARDS LIONEL MESSI, NEYMAR AND SUAREZ WITH DEFENDER GERARD PIQUE DURING TRAINING BELGIAN DEFENDER THOMAS VERMAELEN DURING TRAINING WIDE OF TRAINING ALVES ARRIVING FOR INTERVIEW ALVES SITTING DOWN AHEAD OF INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BRAZILIAN DEFENDER, DANI ALVES, ON THE FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP JAPAN 2015, SAYING: "I think it's the crown. It's the crown for this. I think we're doing things well, it's been a perfect year, and the possibilities we have of extending the history of this club and make it even bigger than what it is, we welcome them. It's clear that there are some difficulties, we have to put in a lot in order to achieve and it's with these intentions that we are going there." PLAYERS AND COACH TEAM DURING TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BRAZILIAN DEFENDER, DANI ALVES, ON HIS FEELINGS OF HAVING NEYMAR PLAYING FOR BARCA, SAYING: "Ney has the limit he wants, if he doesn't want a limit then he won't have one because his characteristics and his qualities are favourable for this. In the end he's one of those players, like Leo, like Luis, who are pointed out as unique, who will mark a decade, or an era, in football, like other big names, and for this reason, what he wants to achieve he will achieve. And if it's with us, even better, because if he's in our team that's a sign that we will achieve things and compete a lot, and we will have the opportunity to achieve things. So I think it's a pleasure to have my younger brother in football and if we can win things together, all the merrier." NEYMAR DURING TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN DEFENDER, DANI ALVES, ON FOULS INFLICTED ON NEYMAR, SAYING: "When we talk, what I try to make him understand is that when he is fouled he needs to keep playing and avoid getting distracted from the game. In the end the goal is playing well, scoring goals, and performing our best. Rivals will always use whatever strategies they want. I always talk about having a great example, which is Leo, who is constantly getting fouled, but he stands up, kicks the ball and keeps playing, because when people compete with players at that level, sometimes they use those kind of strategies, because otherwise it would be very difficult to face or stop them." VARIOUS OF MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN ARRIVING FOR INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) GERMAN GOALKEEPER, MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN, ON TEAMS COMPETING IN CWC, SAYING: "There's no team in general, I would say every team there reached something really special and they are there because of a good reason, because they won something in their continent, so we have to pay attention for all of those teams, it's not going to be easy, when you see that Barca lost already finals for the World Cup, we always have to pay to attention that it doesn't happen a third time." TER STEGEN DURING TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GERMAN GOALKEEPER, MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN, ON MESSI, SAYING: "It's always good important to have Messi in the team. When he's injured, even then he's important for us because of his personality. And yeah we're now even happier to have him back in the team." TER STEGEN DURING TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GERMAN GOALKEEPER, MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN, ON BARCELONA'S FORWARD TRIO, SAYING: "They are all really dangerous for all teams not even just in this tournament, in general, in La Liga, Champions League, everywhere. It's really difficult to play against them, so it's good that they're in my team, I'm happy to have them in front of me. Yeah, for every team it's difficult to stop them." BELGIAN DEFENDER THOMAS VERMAELEN SITTING DOWN FOR INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN DEFENDER, THOMAS VERMAELEN, ON BEING PART OF BARCA, SAYING: "I'm very honoured to be part of this team of course. Not only because we play the World Cup but Barcelona has a great history of trophies, we're playing well at the moment I think, and to go to the World Cup for me will be something new so I know some of the players have the experience but for me it's something new so, something I look forward to and I'm very excited of course." PLAYERS ON FIELD (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN DEFENDER, THOMAS VERMAELEN, ON HIS INJURY, SAYING: "I feel good at the moment. Of course last year was a bit disappointing with the injury I had but at the moment I had a good pre-season this season so I feel good at the moment so I have no problems." PLAYERS DURING TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN DEFENDER, THOMAS VERMAELEN, ON TEAMS COMPETING IN THE CWC, SAYING: "Yeah, if you look at the.. of course for us it's sometimes difficult to see over here the competition but I remember, if you look at the South American competition or teams, they are very passionate, they play with a lot of desire. And if you look at the players who come over to Europe, they are always from a high quality so I expect very good teams to go there to win." WIDE OF TRAINING FIELD
- Embargoed: 15th December 2015 16:45
- Keywords: Dani Alves Marc-Andre Ter Stegen Thomas Vermaelen Barcelona Club World Cup
- Location: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- City: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0013BLUCLB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Barcelona will be aiming for their fifth trophy success in 2015 when they travel to Japan for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Following winning the Champions League, La Liga, the Spanish Cup and the UEFA Super Cup, Luis Enrique's side will be hoping to win the Club World Cup for a record third time, following victories in 2009 and 2011.
On Monday (November 30), the squad gathered at their training ground with three of their players, Brazilian defender Dani Alves, German goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and defender Thomas Vermaelen of Belgium, talking to Reuters about their thoughts for the upcoming tournament.
For Alves, he said that winning the title would be the "crown" to their season.
"I think it's the crown. It's the crown for this. I think we're doing things well, it's been a perfect year, and the possibilities we have of extending the history of this club and make it even bigger than what it is, we welcome them. It's clear that there are some difficulties, we have to put in a lot in order to achieve and it's with these intentions that we are going there," he said.
Brazilian forward Neymar, who Alves refers to as his "younger brother", will be playing for Barcelona for the first time in the Club World Cup, but he is not new to the competition, having been in the Santos side that lost to Barcelona in the 2011 final.
Alves said that he is glad the multi-scoring Brazilian is now on his side and felt that Neymar could become one of the club's greats.
"Ney has the limit he wants, if he doesn't want a limit then he won't have one because his characteristics and his qualities are favourable for this. In the end he's one of those players, like Leo, like Luis, who are pointed out as unique, who will mark a decade, or an era, in football, like other big names, and for this reason, what he wants to achieve he will achieve. And if it's with us, even better, because if he's in our team that's a sign that we will achieve things and compete a lot, and we will have the opportunity to achieve things. So I think it's a pleasure to have my younger brother in football and if we can win things together, all the merrier," he said.
Alves said that he speaks to Neymar about the tactics some teams use against him, most notably fouling him in an attempt to distract him from his game.
"When we talk, what I try to make him understand is that when he is fouled he needs to keep playing and avoid getting distracted from the game. In the end the goal is playing well, scoring goals, and performing our best. Rivals will always use whatever strategies they want. I always talk about having a great example, which is Leo, who is constantly getting fouled, but he stands up, kicks the ball and keeps playing, because when people compete with players at that level, sometimes they use those kind of strategies, because otherwise it would be very difficult to face or stop them," said Alves.
Barcelona will be facing in Yokohama on December 17 the winner of the match between Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande and CONCACAF champions America of Mexico, and Ter Stegen said that it would not be easy, whoever they face.
"There's no team in general, I would say every team there reached something really special and they are there because of a good reason, because they won something in their continent, so we have to pay attention for all of those teams, it's not going to be easy, when you see that Barca lost already finals for the World Cup, we always have to pay to attention that it doesn't happen a third time," he said, referring to Barcelona's defeat in the 2006 final to Internacional of Brazil.
Barcelona have been boosted by the return from injury of Lionel Messi who, alongside Neymar and Luis Suarez, have created one of the most dominant forward lines in the world.
"It's always good important to have Messi in the team. When he's injured, even then he's important for us because of his personality. And yeah we're now even happier to have him back in the team," said Ter Stegen. "They are all really dangerous for all teams not even just in this tournament, in general, in La Liga, Champions League, everywhere. It's really difficult to play against them, so it's good that they're in my team, I'm happy to have them in front of me. Yeah, for every team it's difficult to stop them."
Vermaelen, who after returning from injury has been substitute for Barcelona in their recent good run of form which included a 4-0 win at rivals Real Madrid, said that he is honoured to be part of the team.
"I'm very honoured to be part of this team of course. Not only because we play the World Cup but Barcelona has a great history of trophies, we're playing well at the moment I think, and to go to the World Cup for me will be something new so I know some of the players have the experience but for me it's something new so, something I look forward to and I'm very excited of course.
"I feel good at the moment. Of course last year was a bit disappointing with the injury I had but at the moment I had a good pre-season this season so I feel good at the moment so I have no problems."
If Barcelona reach the final, they are seeded to meet South American champions River Plate of Argentina.
"Yeah, if you look at the.. of course for us it's sometimes difficult to see over here the competition but I remember, if you look at the South American competition or teams, they are very passionate, they play with a lot of desire. And if you look at the players who come over to Europe, they are always from a high quality so I expect very good teams to go there to win," said Vermaelen. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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