David Villa does not need to prove anything says Jordi Roura

Jordi Roura, Barca’s assistant trainer, has confirmed at a press conference that Tito Vilanova will not be on the bench for tonight’s second leg clash against Córdoba in the Copa del Rey as he will be in New York for a doctor’s second opinion”.

Roura was also quick to point out that Tito’s fast recovery has been very good and has had a positive effect on the Barca squad.

Jordi Roura said: “It was a difficult situation at first for everyone but as it became clearer we saw how it became an extra motivation for the players to do well. These players perform better the more problems you put in front of them, they strive to keep moving forward.”

Speaking about Lionel Messi, Roura says that he does not want to miss the second leg of the Córdoba clash at the Nou Camp despite being in Switzerland on Monday night where he picked up an amazing consecutive fourth FIFA Ballon d’Or award.

“It’s historic that he’s managed to win four consecutive FIFA Ballon d’Or awards, amazing, but seeing how he carries himself day to day you forget about the great things he has achieved and what he can go on and do. If you did stop to think about it, all you could do is take your hat off to him”, said Roura.

Lastly, the assistant coach had some fine words to say about forward David Villa highlighting the fact that the coaching staff have great confidence in the player.

“David Villa does not need to prove anything, he’s just amazing. Villa is coming back from a long and difficult injury and we are sure that he will get back to his level and be the player that we all knew before”, he added.

The match kicks off tonight at 21:30 at the Nou Camp (GMT+1)