Catalan sports paper Sport, says that FC Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets (20) has the composure of a veteran even though he was barely into his second season with the first team, and yet against Inter, he was one of the best players on the pitch.
And yesterday, the paper was granted an exclusive interview.
A year after coming into the first team, is this season more difficult?
Every season is difficult. The first is usually the year where everything takes you by a little surprise, and the following one is the definitive year, a year in which you have to become an important player for the team. I take it calmly, and I’m relaxed. I am still young, I am going to pick up more playing times and gain the experience to become a good player.
As last year was your debut season, nobody was expecting much from you. Do you think that people will demand a lot more from you now that they’ve seen you played?
I will always be the same. Last year, few people knew me so it was no surprise. If what I did had made an impact with the fans, that would have given me the validity that I need. And this year I will try to do the same again, to play more and collect the experience, to try to be a little better. I am 20 years old and my future is still ahead of me. I am the first one to demand a lot from myself. No one have to demand anything from me because I want to improve myself every day.
The loss of Keita and especially, that of Yaya Touré, to the African Cup, should give you the chance to get more playing time. Does that represent an added responsibility?
Added responsibility, no, but it is also true that I am going to have more minutes. They are two important players for us and we will miss them, but we’ll just have to keep pushing on. Now that we are faced with this, I hope I’ll be able play more and provide the team with good games, especially victories.
By the way, are you astounded by what the team achieved in Madrid last season and by winning the treble by June?
I was only a bit part in that success, but it is clear that they have achieved a lot and done very well. And our aim (this season), as with any big team, is to win everything. But it has been demonstrated that the treble is a very difficult thing to repeat, you have to consistently do well and be lucky sometimes. This season, I’m not sure we’ll be able to do it again but we’ll try.
On Sunday, Real Madrid comes to the Camp Nou as the league leader. What is your view of this edition of el Clasico?
Against Madrid you cannot expect anything other than a tough match, but if the fans help us as they did in the match against Inter, it will make it easier for us.
What do you think will be key points of the match?
The match will be decided by every small detail. The team is going to pressure them from the get-go, to recover loose balls quickly and play our usual game. If Ibra and Messi play, the better, if not, the Camp Nou crowd is the one that has to help us.
Do you think someday you can repeat anything like last season?
I hope so, because nothing is impossible. Having good teammates, a good dressing room atmosphere, and good dynamics (between the players) like what we have… it is possible to repeat it again some other year, but to do it (two seasons in a row) will be very difficult, although not impossible, and I hope to gain more seasons like that.
Which of the three titles do you want to retain?
It would be unfair to concentrate on only one title because we have to go for all of them as they are all important. But man… it is pretty obvious that the Champions League is the best title.
And is it because the final is in the Santiago Bernabéu?
No, because Europe’s best teams are vying for it, and the competition is more intense. It is more difficult to achieve but with every match that you win, you are closer to the final. But hopefully we can retain all of the titles because we have worked hard for them, and if we are able to repeat last season, all the better.
