LUIS GARCIA: THE BIG INTERVIEW
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N151389060207-1205.htm
LUIS GARCIA: THE BIG INTERVIEW
How's the mood in the dressing room? Despite the two recent defeats, can
everyone still see we're a club on the up?
"I think that that everybody is looking forward and thinking about how we
canimprove as a team. Last season was a time of big changes at Liverpool;
a lot of new players were added to the squad, we were taught lot of new
things to try and I think that only now are we are beginning to see what
the manager and his staff are trying to build here. Last season we won the
Champions League and that was very special but the team we have now is a
much better one than what we had last year. We are constantly thinking
about improving and that's the way it has to be if you want to win the big
trophies. If every player tries to improve his personal performances, the
team as a whole will benefit and I think we're already seeing evidence of
that this season."
People say that it takes time for players to gel on the pitch but does it
also take time to gel off it? I can't imagine a dressing room is completely
united right from the off…
"That's probably true. Last year was about getting to know each other on
and off the pitch. It wasn't just the players getting to know each other
either - the coaches had to get to know us and we had to get to know them.
The manager had very clear ideas for what he wanted us to do on the pitch
and it took a bit of time for every player to take those instructions on.
Even now, we're still learning new things in training every day.
"From being a new group of players all thrown into the same dressing room
18 months ago, we've now all become very close and that's why our results
have improved this season. We can't win every match but we are getting
closer to that first position. We've still got two games in hand and if
we winthose, we could move up to second. That's not bad considering we
couldn't even break into the top four last season. Of course it is going
to be very difficult to catch Chelsea this season but our main aim at the
start of the season was always to improve our own results and then see
where that left us come the end of the season. Between now and the end of
the season, we've got to concentrate on our own results and not worry
about anyone else. If we do that, we should at least reduce the gap that
separated us from Chelsea last season and that means we're making progress."
Do you think that winning the Champions League in they way you did last
season means you can never allow yourself to be seen to be throwing in
the towel - even when the odds really do look impossible?
[Laughs] "Probably. Before that game, people always said that in football
anything can happen but the truth is, anything very rarely happens. The
best team usually wins the league, the best players join the best clubs
and teams rarely come back from being 3-nil down - especially in major
finals against one of the best teams in Europe. But that game was a great
example of a time when anything could happen in football. I think at
half-time, nobody thought that we could do it but we did. That means
that this season no matter what happens we will continue to try and close
the gap on Chelsea and hoping that they slip up. There's nothing to be
gained from conceding the title or anything else so there's really no
point in doing it."
Forgetting for a moment what actually happened in Istanbul, do you think
simply reaching the final during a season where so many at the club were
just trying to find their feet in their new surroundings was an amazing
achievement in itself?
"Yes, of course. Like I said before, no body believed that we could do
it because the club was in transition. We were a group of players that
didn't really know each other that well. There were new players; there
were players who weren't sure if they had a future at the club and the
there was players who knew they didn't have a future at the club. The
brilliant thing though that every player played their heart out for the
club first and themselves second. Don't get me wrong, there were great
players at the club lat season but I think the coaches deserve a lot of
credit because they got all of the players pushing in the right direction."
You were one of the new players last season. Having moved around clubs
in Spain before arriving at Anfield, were you prepared for the culture
shock that comes with switching countries?
"Not really and I'll admit I found it really difficult at first. I
thought that because I had moved clubs before it would be the same but
it was a lot different moving to England. Everything was different for
me; the food, the weather, the training and the life away from the club.
"Everything was very different but as a footballer you cannot be unhappy
about where you are living. What happens on the training ground and on
the pitch is your job and you just have to adapt as soon as possible and
try to do your best every day. I think that last season was a good season
for me but not my best and I try to improve every day, and work harder
every day. Each week I am hopefully getting better."
I don't suppose leaving a pregnant wife at home in Spain helped matters?
"Yes, of course that was hard. I found it difficult leaving my family
and friends in Spain. When I had to leave Barcelona, it was hard because
that was the team that I had always wanted to play for when I was a boy.
I was upset but when I came to Liverpool to join Rafa, everything changed
for me. I have a lot of faith in him and what he can do. He told me what
he was going to do with Liverpool and what he wanted and now I know that
movinghere was a good choice."
When you first landed in Liverpool, it was a place you didn't know. How
do you go about finding your bearings in a city you've never even visited
before? Is there anyone who advises you were to look for houses or even
where to shop for food?
"You just have to talk to anyone you can. You ask your team-mates for
their advice and there's also people in the club who help. Myself and the
other new Spanish guys were really made to feel welcome by everyone and
in return we tried to learn all the things about Liverpool we could. Not
just the football things but also about day-to-day life here in the city."
Have you found any good Spanish restaurants yet?
"Yes, but I like the English food a lot. In the morning, I like to have
scrambled eggs on toast with beans for my breakfast. But I also tend to
mix Spanish food with English food a lot."
Paella on toast, then?
[Laughs] "I've not tried that yet!"
What about driving? Did you find it weird driving on the left?
"It was difficult at first; sitting on the right-hand side of the car
feels strange and you have to really think about what you are doing. It's
hard with the gear stick being on your left side but after a week or
so it got easier."
Eighteen months on from your move, do you now feel like one of the more
established players in the club because since you arrived, a lot of
players have gone and a lot more new faces have arrived?
"Well, no, because there are players that have been here for a lot
longer than me. Having said that, I am very happy here now and I feel
that I have the support of all my teammates. This is very important to
me because when you move away from the people you have relied on most of
your life, you need to feel supported as a footballer. Here, at Liverpool,
I know the rest of the players are behind me and have got my back. When
you know the rest of the dressing room is with you rather than against
you, you can play to your best ability. They encourage me when I do well
and shout at me if I need to improve. I am thankful for this because it
is very important to me."
In every dressing room there are presumably different types of characters;
the vocal ones and the quieter players. Where would you say you fit in?
"I would probably say that I am maybe in the middle because I like to
be involved in every joke but I am not one of the players who likes to
shout a lot. I encourage others but sometimes we need the players who
are louderand always shouting. Players like Jamie Carragher and Steven
Gerrard. Players who can make you wake up because you are not doing the
right things."
Rafa always appears really keen to emphasis the importance of togetherness.
Is it true that when he arrived he wanted to break the cliques that had
developed under the old management team?
"I don't know what it was like here before I arrived but from the
beginning, he wanted the players who had come in from Spain to learn
English. Right away we were told that there was to be no Spanish
speaking at the club. No matter how hard we found it, we had to try
and use English only."
Come on - you must still speak Spanish when he's not around!
"Yes, we did but it was very difficult to speak English with the
other Spanish guys because none of us could work out what the other
was trying to say. We did cheat now and again but when there were
other team-mates around, we always tried to speak in English because
we didn't want them to think that we are talking about them. Once
that happens, it can be very bad for team spirit."
As a supporter, we want to believe that there's a sort of 'gang
mentality' amongst all the players off the pitch as well as on it.
Do the players all socialise together away from football?
"We don't all see each other all the time away from football because
everyone has their own life to lead and their own family and friends
but, yes, we like to sometimes go out together. When we do, we don't
talk about training or the matches. I think this is good because on the
pitch you have to have confidence in your team-mates and I think that
when you all go out, you learn more about the players you share the
dressing room with. In fact, I think you get to know the other players
better when you're away from the football."
Didn't you once organise a meal for all the players in a Spanish
restaurant in Liverpool?
"Yes, I did. We were all talking about where we could go and I said
that I could organise one in a Spanish restaurant. I did it so all of
the lads could try the Spanish food. It wasn't bad. After we finished
the dinner, we went to watch Manchester United versus Chelsea in a bar
and then after that, we all went to have a drink."
One player who wasn't around for that meal but could be open to an
invite next time around is Robbie Fowler. Did you know much about him
before he arrived because you must have only been about 15 when he
first broke into the Liverpool side?
"Yes, of course I did. He is one of the legends of Liverpool and one
ofthe best players that Liverpool have ever had. He told me the other
day in training that he first came to Liverpool at the age of 11.
That's amazing. He was telling me about all the goals he scored when
he first started - 171 I think he said. I definitely think he is one
of the most important signings that we have made. When he arrived, the
people were all shouting and very happy. It's a great boost for the
whole team because it lifts everyone. All of the players here know what
he can do and against Birmingham it was almost like a fairytale…"
The morning after he signed, you were pictured jogging with him at
Melwood. Do you think he's aware just how hard he's going to have to
work to establish himself in Rafa's team?
"Of course. The manager is the one who picks the team and he knows
what he wants but Rafa obviously brought in Fowler for a reason and
he thinks Robbie can improve us as a team. I think that Fowler knows
this and you can see that he really wants to play. He's been training
really hard."
Liverpool supporters always like to hear how special they are so, I
have to ask, are we special?
[Laughs] "The fans here are special. I'd actually say fans in England
in general are very different from what I was used to back home. In
Spain, the fans are always waiting for something special like a trick or
something to happen. Here in England, the fans are waiting for different
things - it could be a good tackle or a good run. Even if you are not
winning, if you fight, try your hardest and give it your all then the
fans support you all the time. In Spain they don't support as much
unless you do something for them that is special."
Having chosen to live in south Liverpool, do you get to speak to many
fans on the streets?
"Yes, it's nice to talk to the supporters. It is very different here
in that they respect you. For instance, if you go to the city centre,
the people say 'hello' and 'goodbye' but do not want something from you.
Everyone's very nice and friendly to you. In Barcelona, the people want
more things off you."
Finally, the 'Lu-is Gar-cia... He drinks San-gria' chant - it's not true,
is it?
[Laughs] "No, not true! I don't drink alcohol. I don't like it but I
love the song very much. I sometimes hear it in the dressing room
before a game. One of the players will start it off and then everyone
will join in. When I hear that, I really love it."
So, should they change it to 'Lu-is Gar-cia...He drinks tea?'
"I do like tea very much but I love the chant how it is. It doesn't
need changing. I did used to drink two or three cups a day though so
maybe there could be another song with the word 'tea' in it."
這小子，說話還是那麼惹人疼 :)
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