Sylvinho shrugs off talk of Barcelona upheaval

RONALDINHO has gone, Samuel Eto'o has been told to look for a new club, and Lionel Messi may be absent for a while on Olympic Games duty, but a club of Barcelona's stature will take these and other changes in their stride, according to Sylvinho.

The Brazilian, who has been at the Nou Camp Stadium for four years, was speaking at his club's base in St Andrews yesterday.

An assured and diplomatic figure, Sylvinho also suggested that Steven Fletcher, who will play for Hibernian against Barcelona on Thursday, would benefit from moving to Spain, where he has been linked with Barca and with Real Madrid.

The departure of Ronaldinho and Deco, and the attempt to show Eto'o the exit door, has been interpreted in some quarters as a sign of upheaval at Barcelona.

Sylvinho, however, has been around long enough to accept such alterations in playing squads as part of sporting life, and he appears perfectly happy with the new regime of head coach Pep Guardiola.

"It's done," he said when asked how he assessed the sale of Ronaldinho.

"Ronny's not a Barcelona player any more. I had some great seasons with him, and it was a pleasure to be in the same dressing room as him.

"He's a fantastic footballer, but that's life. He has to make his choice."

Barcelona's suggestion to Eto'o that he would be better off finding another club has not been to the taste of some of the club's supporters, who think that even if the striker is deemed surplus to requirements his goal-scoring record merits more respect.

Sylvinho refused to be drawn on that matter, but did say he thought Eto'o still appeared happy with his present employers.

"Us veteran professionals have seen a lot in the football world. It's between the club and Eto'o to find a solution," he said.

"While he's still here at Barcelona he's my colleague and friend. But we can't interfere in the situation between the club and Eto'o. I'm not taking sides – I want a good solution for both.

"He only came back on Saturday, and we had the day off on Sunday so I didn't see him then. But he seems the same as always – happy and focused on his work."

Sylvinho did suggest, however, that there should be no shortage of interested parties in Eto'o. Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are two of the clubs who have already been linked with the Cameroonian, but Sylvinho thinks the forward would be able to adapt to the style of play in other countries as well.

"He can play around the world – in England, in Germany, wherever he wants," he added.

"He's quick, he scores goals, and he has great experience as well."

No-one at Barcelona wants Messi to leave, and the Argentine playmaker is expected to be the focal point around which Guardiola hopes to rebuild his team. Even a short-term absence could be detrimental – if he goes to Beijing to compete in the Olympics, the early part of the club's La Liga season could be disrupted.

Again, though, Sylvinho said he preferred to leave such political matters to the politicians.

"Having Messi here is a pleasure – he's one of the best players in the world," he said.

"It's a matter for negotiations between the football authorities, the Argentine Football Association and Barcelona Football Club. Meanwhile, he's training very well."

It might be thought that Hibs striker Fletcher hardly merits mention in the same breath as players of Messi's stature, and that was more or less the attitude of the 21-year-old when it was first suggested he might be offered a move to Spain.

Real Madrid were initially the club said to be interested in him, and far from dying away the story has become more complicated with the added interest of Barcelona.

Fletcher might at present be some way short of the exalted level of a striker such as Eto'o, but Sylvinho said he would benefit from a move to Spain.

"I think it's very good when clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid or Chelsea are interested in players from Scotland," said the Barca player.

Asked if he would recommend a move from Easter Road to the Nou Camp, Sylvinho unsurprisingly said he would. "Of course, yes. We'd be good for him."

When not dealing with speculation about arrivals and departures, Sylvinho made it very clear that he and his team-mates need to put in a lot of work at this stage of the season to prepare properly for the coming campaign after the disappointment of finishing third in La Liga behind Real and Villarreal in 2007-08.

"We have to improve a lot. Last season was very disappointing, and we didn't expect to finish so far behind in the league," he added.

"We're very happy to be here in Scotland for our pre-season base. It's a very tranquil setting, but when it's time for work we have everything we need here.

"We're very happy with the conditions here, and with the people. They're very warm, and have given us a friendly welcome."

It was a hotter day in St Andrews yesterday than for most of the past few weeks, and perhaps a touch hotter than Barcelona would have wanted for the start of their pre-season training.

Sylvinho, however, insisted that the club remained more than happy with the set-up at the Old Course Hotel and in the surrounding area.

"We came here not just because of the weather, but because of the people, the country, the setting," he said.

"There is everything we need here."

STORY SO FAR

WHEN Barcelona take the field against Dundee United on Saturday, it will be their sixth match in Scotland in just over a year.

In July last year, they beat Dundee United 1-0 at Tannadice with a last-minute penalty rebound from Thierry Henry, his first goal for the club since signing from Arsenal. Two days later, Barcelona beat hearts 3-1 at Murrayfield in front of a bumper crowd of almost 58,000.

The Catalan giants returned to Scotland three months later on Champions League duty, when they were held to a goal-less draw by Rangers at Ibrox. Barcelona winger Lionel Messi later accused Rangers of playing anti-football.

Four months later the fare was anything but anti-football as Barcelona won 3-2 against Celtic at Parkhead in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Thursday's match against Hibs at Murrayfield will be their fifth match here, and Dundee United on Saturday making six.