Rijkaard and Xavi praise Van Bommel
The signing of Van Bommel has given the Barça dressing room plenty to talk about. Frank Rijkaard and Xavi Hernández had particular praise for the Dutch midfielder, and especially admire his winning mentality.
Barcelona announced this morning that Mark Van Bommel will play for the club for the next three seasons. Both manager Frank Rijkaard and midfielder Xavi spoke this afternoon about the qualities of the Dutch midfielder. "He is a great player, who always wants to win. He is a player with a great understanding of what he has to do on the pitch", said the FC Barcelona coach. Rijkaard added that "the club has been working on closing this deal for some time and now is the right time for him to join us".
Xavi, meanwhile, welcomed his new teammate: "Anybody that comes to improve the team is more than welcome", he said. "It is a great signing for the club, because he's a player of proven experience on an international level, and one of the best midfielders in Europe".
All-rounder in midfield
When asked to describe the PSV star, Xavi replied that "he is very strong in the middle of the field, can get into goalscoring positions, is aggressive, is attacking and can act as a defensive playmaker; I think he's a good all-rounder". Rijkaard agreed with this by claiming that "he is a player that is good at getting forward, he can score goals too".
As for where he sees Van Bommel playing for Barça, Rijkaard said "I see him more as a midfielder, either on the left or the right, but we can also play him in a pivotal role in the middle".
Healthy competition
The arrival of Mark Van Bommel means Barcelona now has more cover in the middle than anywhere else. Xavi commented that "this season we have had problems in that area with so many injuries and there have been times when we have only had three midfielders to cover for three midfield positions. Experience has told us the more the better".
The Barcelona player does not feel threatened by the arrival of the Dutch international. "I'm relaxed because everybody has their faith in me and I think I'm an important player at this club. The boss has every confidence in me". Xavi also feels that competition for places is a good thing, as "it makes you work harder and want to collaborate with the team".
The signing of Van Bommel has given the Barça dressing room plenty to talk about. Frank Rijkaard and Xavi Hernández had particular praise for the Dutch midfielder, and especially admire his winning mentality.
Barcelona announced this morning that Mark Van Bommel will play for the club for the next three seasons. Both manager Frank Rijkaard and midfielder Xavi spoke this afternoon about the qualities of the Dutch midfielder. "He is a great player, who always wants to win. He is a player with a great understanding of what he has to do on the pitch", said the FC Barcelona coach. Rijkaard added that "the club has been working on closing this deal for some time and now is the right time for him to join us".
Xavi, meanwhile, welcomed his new teammate: "Anybody that comes to improve the team is more than welcome", he said. "It is a great signing for the club, because he's a player of proven experience on an international level, and one of the best midfielders in Europe".
All-rounder in midfield
When asked to describe the PSV star, Xavi replied that "he is very strong in the middle of the field, can get into goalscoring positions, is aggressive, is attacking and can act as a defensive playmaker; I think he's a good all-rounder". Rijkaard agreed with this by claiming that "he is a player that is good at getting forward, he can score goals too".
As for where he sees Van Bommel playing for Barça, Rijkaard said "I see him more as a midfielder, either on the left or the right, but we can also play him in a pivotal role in the middle".
Healthy competition
The arrival of Mark Van Bommel means Barcelona now has more cover in the middle than anywhere else. Xavi commented that "this season we have had problems in that area with so many injuries and there have been times when we have only had three midfielders to cover for three midfield positions. Experience has told us the more the better".
The Barcelona player does not feel threatened by the arrival of the Dutch international. "I'm relaxed because everybody has their faith in me and I think I'm an important player at this club. The boss has every confidence in me". Xavi also feels that competition for places is a good thing, as "it makes you work harder and want to collaborate with the team".
