Piqué: “This team can still for many more years”

“Sometimes in football things happen so fast that it seems like we have no memory and forget about the things we have done”. “

I don’t think Guardiola’s renewal depends on the players. He is proud of us and we have already spoken in public about what we want”.

"I think the difference in the league is excessive. We’re playing great football. There have been a lot of points we have dropped in the last few minutes”.

Speaking to Barça TV, Gerard Piqué has revealed much about current goings on at FC Barcelona. After thrashing Valencia in Sunday's league match, the centre back spoke about Barça's situation in that competition. "I think the difference in the league is excessive. We're playing great football. There have been a lot of points we have dropped in the last few minutes". Piqué thinks they now have to deal with things in the short term. "We shouldn't think about the distance right now. We have to go game by game. Try to enjoy ourselves, try to win and let's see if in a couple of months we are better positioned to close in on the leaders and make the league a bit more exciting".

He added that "we try to treat all games the same and it is going well for us in the Champions League. But we're finding it harder in the league. I think we've played well away from home, but the opposition also plays, they tend to keep things tight at the back and it's always hard to break down these defences, especially if they score first. There have been some great games, like the one at the Bernabéu, and others like the one in Pamplona, where things didn't work out so well. You start dropping points and end up in a situation that's not too good".

A lot has been said of late about the relationship between Piqué and Guardiola, but the centre back insists "there aren't any problems; we've been working together for years. I know what he wants from me and I don't think there are any problems in that sense. We have always spoken to each other face to face whenever there's been anything to be said and if there is anything wrong, then he wouldn't have any problem with coming up to me and saying it ... At the end of the day, if you listened to everything people say, you'd go crazy. You just have to concentrate on what you have to do and try to ignore what people are saying".

"I don't think it depends on us. The manager has always said he is proud of our performances and how we behave on the pitch. I think his biggest doubts are related to his family and his personal life. He has to dedicate 24 hours a day to football, and that's too much sometimes. We are doing all we can for him to renew. All the players have stated what we want and we are doing all we can on the pitch to show how much we would like him to stay with us. But it's his decision, and we have to respect it".

Gerard Piqué is confident that the end of the brilliant cycle is not upon us. "It's been going on for three and a half years now and things are still going very well. We mustn't forget that we've already won three titles this season, that makes 13 out of 16. Astounding. Sometimes in football things happen so fast that it seems like we have no memory and forget about the things we have done. OK, we're not in the league position we would have hoped to have been in at the start of the season, but we're still very alive in three competitions. I am convinced that this team can carry on doing as well for several more seasons". (via FCBarcelona.com)