Valdés: "We are improving and progressing"

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Víctor Valdés feels that FC Barcelona are growing stronger as the season progresses, but admitted that there was still room for even more improvement.

The Blaugrana goalkeeper was speaking after training with the B team on Wednesday and he reflected on how the team has raised its rhythm in the past few games. "I have a very good feeling," he said. "We are improving and progressing, but there is still much to improve upon."

Pressing concerns

Frank Rijkaard's side have recorded six consecutive victories in all competitions and silenced the criticism that being aim at them in the early part of the new campaign and Valdés is pleased. "We have improved on many aspects, but others are still lacking. The whole team is not pressing very well and that benefits the defence and the goalkeeper a great deal."

Ciutat Esportiva

The four Barça first team players that remain, as the rest jet off on international duty, trained at the Ciutat Esportiva for the first time and Valdés was impressed. "These facilities are great and they are beautiful too," he enthused. "This Wednesday has been a very good day to work." Reflecting on the chance of switching permanently, the Catalan custodian said: "The changing rooms at Camp Nou have been renovated recently and they made it more usable for every day use. Perhaps the fact that is has such good facilities for recovery has levelled things out."

The internationals

Valdés was then asked about whetyher clubs should be compensated for allowing players to play for their country, but he played it cool. "It is the people that send for them that deal with that," he explained before talking about the effects of these breaks for international games. "The players need time to recover," he said. "But this situation has always been like and most players are delighted to be called up by their national teams."

FIFA World Player of the Year

With seven Barça players named on the shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year, Valdés is hopeful that one of them can win the award. "There are some players of great quality at Barça, who are famous all over the world," he explained. "It is a difficult trophy to win, but I hope one my team-mates can do it."

Step-by-step

Real Madrid president, Ramón Calderón, outlandishly stated that Barça would endure four difficult years, but Valdés was not interested in his opinion. "To look four years ahead is difficult," he explained. "You have to go step-by-step because everything changes in football from one day to the next. Madrid are top and that is because they have had the results needed to achieve that."