Guardiola praises Barcelona side after Mallorca triumph
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Guardiola praises his side after a hard-fought but ultimately convincing 3-0 win away to Mallorca in the Spanish first division league.
Goals from Leo Messi, David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez saw Barcelona home after a difficult opening 35 minutes, when they were under pressure from their rivals.
The win was all the more significant as it came without four first choice players: Dani Alves, Carles Puyol, Victor Valdes and midfielder Xavi Hernandez. Xavi was replaced by Seydou Keita and Keita set up Messi for the opening goal with a clever lofted pass.
"It is hard for those who don't play on a regular basis, but I try and make them know they have to train hard because chances will come. Today Keita and Andres (Iniesta) have helped win the game for us. They played very well. I am very happy," said Guardiola on the club's website.
Guardiola also singled Eric Abidal out for praise after the French defender produced an excellent display in central defense.
"He shows that you are never too old to stop learning. He learns something in every session and I am very satisfied with what he has done."
The win, coupled with Real Madrid's 0-0 away to Deportivo la Coruna sees Barcelona reopen a seven point lead at the top of the table, but Guardiola continues to deny that his side have done enough to win the title.
"There is still a lot to do, we have to visit Valencia, Villarreal and go to the Bernabeu. There is a lot to do and we have to concentrate to recover from the knocks we have suffered."
"It was very hard for us to get iuto the game and we had problems in the first half. Messi's goal was what we needed and the second half was a different story," said Guardiola.
