The Fans Football Blog3

Celtic Glasgow player Marc Crosas gave an interview to football site Goal.





Will Celtic win the Scottish Premier League title?
I hope so, but things are very tight. It has been like that all year with us on top sometimes and then Rangers taking over at other times. The games are very even and either side can take points off the other so it will be easy to separate us.

Now that you have experienced a derby on the pitch, what is an Old Firm game like?
The setting and the atmosphere are difficult to beat. The only thing that is missing is the level of football. I think that in those games the football itself is quite poor, considering that we are the two strongest teams in Scotland. They are games that leave a lot to be desired. Also, there is too much respect. It is strange because against other teams we play so well, but when the derby comes along it is disappointing. If the level of football improved there would be no derby in the world to match it.

Celtic will play in the Peace Cup this summer and it will be in Andalucia. Is it an added motivation that this tournament is in Spain?
Yes, it will be great to play there again. It is an extra reason to look forward to playing apart from the tournament itself and it will be a chance to play against some of the great sides that will be there. As well as for me, it will also be an honour for Celtic to be able to play in the Peace Cup for the first time.

Do you think that football and peace can go hand-in-hand?
I think so, yes. All sports or mass movements, like football, in Europe, America or Asia, or wherever, can make a lot of people do the same thing and they can all contribute to improving situations in different countries or to easing conflicts. It may not be the role of professional football players because, unfortunately, there is not a great deal that we can do and our influence on an individual basis is limited. But to play tournaments like this is always a pleasure and if our presence helps to bring peace to a region in the world, then that is even better.

You have already lived in two countries outside of Spain. What do you think of them both?
In France I was surprised by how they see football. I think that in Spain there is an incorrect view on that. I thought it was a minority sport behind rugby or cycling, with the Tour de France being so big. But the passion and support is incredible inside the stadiums and many are full. It was a positive surprise. In Scotland, on a sporting front, not only Celtic and Rangers exist. They are the ones that win the most trophies, but there are some competitive teams and the level is not low. There are also some very good players here.

What has the experience been like in both countries off the field?
Learning French was fairly easy. I was able to understand it after a month-and-a-half in Lyon. I think speaking Catalan helped me, although I was keen to learn too. On the other hand, when I came to Scotland I realised what a low level of English I had. I was not very good at speaking it, but I have improved now. But there is a lot more to learn than there was with French.

Is returning to Barcelona now an impossible dream?
No, I do not think so. They have been my club since I was young and also the fact that I have been there since I was 13. But I understand that whether you support the team or how much you feel, the colours does not have an effect when the club is weighing up whether they want you as a player. Here in Scotland I am very happy because everyone at the club are great. That is the only thing that is important to me at the moment.

read the complete interview here


Read more:
Crosas dreams about Barcelona return
Barcelona players congratulate Crosas with goal
How is Crosas doing at Celtic?

Celtic Glasgow midfielder and fromer Barcelona player Marc crosas gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





How did you adapt to your new club?
When you start at a new place, it's always difficult, but I adapted well to the dressing-room. The hardest thing was to arrive here in August, after the heat of Barça's US tour. It was raining and it was horrible. Then I got injured, but I have recovered now and I think I'll have more chances to play.

How is Barcelona looked at from abroad?
Within the team people are talking quite a lot about how Barcelona is doing. The truth is that I noticed a clear difference compared to how people talked about the club last season when I was in Lyon. Then my team-mates asked me how it was possible that things were going that bad for a team like Barça.

What do they say this year?
Totally the opposite, people are excited about Barça, they follow the games every weekend and they're very happy with how the team is doing.

Does it bother you that people could see you as some kind af "ambassador" of Barça?
I don't see myself that way, but for some that is the case, just for the fact that I'm coming from Barça. But it's clear to me that I'm a former Barcelona player and that, for now, my time at the club has ended. If I'm following Barça now, that's just as a fan and nothing more.

You worked with Pep Guardiola at Barcelona B and also during the pre-season. You were one of those who thought that he was the best possible coach for Barça?
I was convinced - because of his work-rate and his motivation - that nobody was more capable to coach Barcelona than he was. The coach is showing that, although some people were thinking the opposite, he was the best man for the job. I hope things will keep going well for him.

You're jealous with the those who stayed and who are playing at Barça now?
It's a healthy jealousy. Looking at what they're living now, I'm very proud and very happy as a fan and because several squad players are friends of mine.

One of them is Bojan. This year he has to deal with more criticism and he's playing less. You would recommend him to follow your example?
Our careers are very different. He had his chances with the first team from the beginning. For his age, he maybe even had too many responsibilities last season. Bojan has gone through some difficult moments but last year he showed that he can be very helpful when things aren't going well.

Barcelona's next opponent in the Champions League is Olympique Lyon, a club you know well because you played there last season. You think that Barça was lucky in the draw or people are taking it too easily?
In theory, it seems the easiest opponent of the ones Barça could have faced, because of the way of playing of both teams. But it won't be easy, not at all.

Benzema is their most dangerous player?
They always ask me about him and he's indeed a great player and he shows it every game by scoring and being decisive. But there are others.

Which Lyon players are the most decisives ones in your opinion?
Juninho is a player who's around for many years. They also have some excellent players in midfield, like Jérémy Toulalan or Kim Källström. That's why I shouldn't only focus on Benzema.

Do you think Benzema would fit well in Spanish football?
Yes, I do. Although the French league isn't on the same level as the Spanish league, he shows in the Champions League that he's a very good player and that he's ready to play at whatever team.

Marc Crosas joined Celtic Glasgow in 2008. Since Barcelona can buy Crosas back in the summer of 2010 for two million euro (read more here), this blog will follow the performances of the midfielder over this two years.

Read more:
Barcelona could make Crosas return in 2010
How is Crosas doing at Celtic?
Crosas dreams about Barcelona return

Former Barcelona player Marc Crosas gave an interview to Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.





If I see your goalkeeper Boruc on the front page of all local tabloids, I don't think you can complain about the Spanish press.
Over here, the tabloid press chases you. But until now they are leaving me alone. But in general there's more respect for your private life here. The interest of the sports press is not as big as in Spain. It's more focused on the day of the match.

It's impressive to hear the chants.
That's true. When you enter the stadium and the fans are singing "You'll never walk alone", you get goosebumps. It's a proud nation. They wear a kilt during important games and even when it's freezing cold they keep on singing wearing short-sleeved shirts, or even no shirt at all. They don't stop encouraging the team, the atmosphere is phenomenal. It's mythical how they start with "Larsson is the king". They keep on adoring him here. That's also why they treat me that well. I come from Barcelona, they tell me that Celtic and Barça are connected.

They also sing for you?
Yes, but it's not really a big deal. They sing "Crosas is better than Cesc" but they already had the refrain before my debut so it's not that my performances impressed them. But it's very nice.

How did you adapt to live in Glasgow?
With ups and downs. Footballwise, they are treating me very well because they believed in me from the first day. The bad thing is that you cannot have a siesta here because at five o'clock it's already dark and one hour later everything is closed. A group of Spanish exchange students, that I got to know by accident in September, has saved my life.

Tell me that story...
I was at a pub watching a Barça game and I heard them talking Spanish. They also heard me talking by mobile phone and they presented themselves. At the start, they didn't recognize me until a Barça fan joined in. It's a group of thirty students and I've integrated. We organize dinners with tortillas and the food our mothers send us. One day we went to Loch Ness. But we didn't see the monster.

What do you always have in your fridge?
Frozen flesh that my mother Maria bought in the butcher shop of my hometown Bescanó, althought I was born in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, dry sausages, ham and cheese, all from Catalonia. My specialty is spaghetti carbonara but I prepare it that often that they start to detest it. I miss the meals prepared by my mother or my grandmother. And those of the Barcelona youth academy. How delicious was the food in Barça's Masia! I was there for five years. I'll never forget the plates prepared by Belén and Fernando, the chefs. The Masia marks your life.

And above all that you have to work these holidays...
Yes, the league doesn't stop here. We played last weekend and next weekend again. The only time I wasn't with my family these days was when we travelled to Australia with Barcelona's Juvenil B youth team. We celebrated the New Year at a temperature of 40 degrees. We all got sick when we returned. Maybe I can be at home on the day of Epiphany, 6 January, that would be great. I have two little brothers, Guillem and Josep, and I think that I maybe even could celebrate my birthday at home the 9th of January.

At least you have a direct flight Girona-Glasgow evey day.
And it's a low cost company. I miss everything of Girona, the beaches, the see, the city. The sun! I just don't see any sunshine here...


Marc Crosas joined Celtic Glasgow in 2008. Since Barcelona can buy Crosas back in the summer of 2010 for two million euro (read more here), this blog will follow the performances of the midfielder over the next two years.

Read more:
Barcelona could make Crosas return in 2010
Sylvinho can negotiate with Celtic
International: Four players called up for Catalonia