Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola
steamed into his players before training yesterday.
Sport says Guardiola, furious with their performance
against Almeria on Saturday, read his players the riot act for over
a half hour - with no-one, not even the squad's heavyweights,
escaping his wrath.
"We need to smarten up or all our hard work will be for nothing
this season," began Guardiola, "we will win NOTHING."
Barca players were stunned by the anger coming from Guardiola,
who also told his squad not to seek excuses from bad officiating or
Liga conspiracies.
The Barca coach is seeking a reaction from his players and also
said fatigue was no excuse: "Everything is mental, when the legs do
not respond, it is because you're not motivating your mind."
Guardiola signed off, saying they will remain the best, so long
as they run, fight and work as hard as they can.
To add to the drama, Barca's morning training session was hit by
a major hail storm - just what a frustrated Guardiola didn't
need.