Barcelona must win Copa del Rey, says Busquets

Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has called on his side to win the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.

After failing to win La Liga and the Champions League, the Catalan giants turn their attention to the cup final on May 25 in what will be Pep Guardiola’s last match on the club’s bench.

“We won our first final under Guardiola against Athletic, and he will leave with this exact same match, collecting many titles and installing a new philosophy,” Busquets said.

“This has been one of the best periods in the history of the club and the stint of a very special coach is coming to an end. He is the best there is.”

When asked about the managerial change at Camp Nou after the season, Busquets played down the fact that the club will lose one of the most successful coaches in their history.

“We have a young team, with a lot of ambition,” he said. “We have experienced this situation throughout the season.

“We have to prepare for a final, the coach will leave and we must keep working, whether or not this coach is around, whether or not Tito Vilanova is around. We have to win.”

Falling 13 days after Barcelona’s last La Liga game against Betis, Busquets is unhappy with the date chosen for the clash by the Spanish Federation.

“We would have liked to play the match at an earlier date so that some of us could go on holiday, others could join their teams for Euro 2012 and others to prepare for their teams’ World Cup qualifiers,” he said.

“Two weeks are a lot and we have to think positively to prepare for this match the best possible way.

“The federation did it thinking about a potential Champions League final between Spanish clubs.”