the Marca interview – Gerard Piqué

Geri doesn’t seem to be too happy posing with the globes, unlike some of his teammates!  Maybe it’s because he was asked a lot of questions about the loss to Switzerland.  His basic message is this: it happened, so let’s move on.  Good advice, Gerard.  Let’s hope the press follows it.

Interview

Q:  How are you feeling after the loss to Switzerland?

A:  Good, but with a lot of desire.  We didn’t expect to start like this, but this is football and we know what could happen.  It happened and we don’t need to keep thinking about it.  Luckily, it didn’t happen in the round of 16 or the quarterfinals and we still have time to compensate for it.

Q:  Now that several days have gone by, how can we explain what happened against Switzerland?

A:  Out of 100 games like this one, we win 95.  When it’s time for one of the other five games, what you have to do is accept it and move on.  We really want the day when we play against Honduras to come.

Q:  Did it remind you of the game against Inter in the Camp Nou?

A:  A lot.  It was basically the same.  They got to the area two times, they scored a goal and the other one hit the bar.  There’s nothing you can do when this happens.  That’s what it is and that’s it.

Q:  You lost your memory when you were hit in the face.

A:  Yes, I don’t remember anything about that play.  My memory starts when the ball is already in the goal.  I didn’t have a complete memory of what happened until I saw it on TV and I realized what bad luck we had.

Q:  You were the protagonist of the Swiss goal and Spain’s best occasion.  Which have you repeated in your mind more?

A:  Their goal, because it was just bad luck.  My occasion was what I decided to do in that moment.  Afterward, seeing it again, you think that you could have passed to Villa, but you shouldn’t obsess over it.

Q:  You said it was stupid to say that we were the favorites.

A:  It’s just that I believe there is no reason for anyone to say that.  We played very well in the classification, but this doesn’t have anything to do with the World Cup even if you’re champions of Europe.  There are teams that are proving that they can win.  We’re one candidate out of many.

Q:  Would it be a failure to return home without passing through to the round of 16?

A:  It would be something unexpected.  But if you give it your everything then the world failure is a bit exaggerated.

Q:  So Spain has to rise again.

A:  We don’t have to rise because we haven’t fallen.  We’re convinced that we’re going through to the next round.

Q:  What are they saying at home?

A:  They’re in good spirits, and my father, who always sees things positively, told me that we played well and that he’s sure we’ll continue going forward.

Q:  What does Piqué want to say to Spain?

A:  Believe in us.  This team has shown that it is capable of coming back.

La Porra

1. Spain  2. Brazil  3. Germany  4. England

Personal profile
1.    A cologne: Hugo Boss [Xabi, David or Cesc‘s?  I’m betting on Cesc’s].
2.    A car: Audi.
3.    A watch: Hublot.
4.    A pending trip: to India.
5.    It embarrasses you to… be the center of attention.
6.    A politician: Right now, none of them.
7.    I envy women for… how they transform things.
8.    A historical person: Christopher Columbus.
9.    You would go have a beer with… with Cesc and Puyol.
10.    What kind of work wouldn’t you like to do? Domestic things [bad, bad].

Sports profile
1.    The best goal you’ve ever seen: Maradona against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
2.    A football genius: Leo Messi.
3.    What do you see yourself doing in South Africa? Holding that beautiful cup.
4.    A coach: Pep Guardiola.
5.    First stadium that you went to: Camp Nou.
6.    A teammate that was on the road to stardom but didn’t make it: Rafa Blázquez.
7.    Your first ball: it was a leather one.
8.    A game of Spain’s that you remember: the 4-3 against Yugoslavia in the 2000 Eurocopa.
9.    Your first kit: Barça.
10.    A stadium that you would like to play in that’s not your team’s: San Mamés.