Villa revels in Barça 'harmony'

Villa revels in Barça 'harmony'

A harmonious dressing room is the secret to Barcelona's record winning run, according to striker David Villa. The Catalans will look to extend their streak to 17 matches when they take on Sporting Gijon - former employers of Villa - in a Saturday evening kick-off at El Molinon.

Villa is perfectly placed to offer an insight into what makes the Barça winning machine tick having only joined the club this past summer. "When I arrived, the coach and my team-mates gave me their support and confidence," the 29-year-old told Sky Sports News.

"They let me know they had chosen me and that they hadn't made a mistake in doing so and that we would end up achieving success. That's how it's panning out, little by little. I knew a lot of people in the dressing room already. It's not a fairy tale; it's a normal, relaxed place where everyone is in harmony."
They let me know that they hadn't made a mistake and that we could end up achieving success.
David Villa

Villa played for the better part of an hour in Spain's 1-0 friendly win over Colombia yesterday but is expected to be fit for Saturday's match. Real Madrid, in second place behind Barça by a daunting seven points, travel to the Catalan capital on Sunday to take on Espanyol, buoyed by a 4-1 win at home to Real Sociedad - a game which saw Emmanuel Adebayor score his second goal for the club following his loan move from Manchester City.

Adebayor right at home at Real
"I'm very happy for scoring two goals," said Adebayor. "I will work hard every day to help win our games. It is very easy to work with (coach Jose) Mourinho. He is an excellent person and he enhances my game. He has his own way of dealing with people. He tells you what he expects you to do."

Villarreal, who lead the best of the rest behind La Liga's two dominant clubs, take on Deportivo La Coruna hoping for better luck than they got in their surprise 1-0 defeat to Levante last time out. That win took Levante to one point from safety and they can climb out of the relegation spots altogether if they can win against fellow strugglers Almeria and Deportivo drop points.

Malaga, bottom of the division, eked out a point from their 0-0 draw with Sevilla last time out and are at home to Malaga. Atletico Madrid, taken apart 3-0 by a Lionel Messi-inspired Barça last time out, take on UEFA Champions League hopefuls Valencia, Racing Santander host Sevilla, Hercules meet Real Zaragoza, and Athletic Bilbao travel to Real Mallorca on Monday.