Valdés surprised that Casillas was left on bench

Barca keeper Víctor Valdés has admitted that he is bewildered by his Real Madrid opposite number iker Casillas being left on the bench for Sunday’s opener against Real Betis.

He looked good in the Confederations and during the recent national squad call up. I’ve seen Iker make saves that I didn’t think were possible. For me, he’s the best, but I shouldn’t say more as it’s not my team”, said Valdés.

Speaking about the Catalan giants impressive start to the season, he said: “It was one of the best starts. The team looked very strong, defending much higher up the field to intercept the ball earlier and get to the opposition goal quicker. That’s what the boss wanted”.

The Barca stopper also wanted to clarify Xavi Hernández’s comments: “I spoke to Xavi and his words have been misinterpreted. We were in an unusual situation last year with the coach being ill and we couldn’t work on certain aspects because of what happened with Tito”.

“It’s good to start out like this. We’ve recovered aspects we had in the past and let’s hope we continue like that”, added Valdés.

Talking about his team’s preparation for the Spanish Super Cup: “Atlético is like it was last year; very motivated, and they are going to be a tough opponent”.

At the end of the press conference, someone asked whether his decision to leave Barcelona was irreversible provoked the keeper to answer the following: “That question’s a joke and I think it shows a lack of respect for me.”