Ramos: “Barca deserves respect”

(GSM) – At this stage of the season Barcelona have collected one point more in La Liga compared to last year and they booked a spot in the next round of the Champions League this week. However, Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos reckons Barca are not as good as they were last season but still deserve respect.

Despite the fact that Josep Guardiola’s squad has almost remained the same, Ramos still claims there’s a difference. “The group hasn’t changed but they are not playing as well as last year,” Ramos told AS. “The way they play is studied more and more and their opponents play very defensive. Barcelona are not as good as last season.

“But you must give them the utmost respect,” Ramos added. “Because they have done something historic with the treble and we must recognise what a good team they are.”

The 23-year-old Spain international stated that he would like to face Bayern Munich or Inter Milan in the next round of the UEFA Champions League as Madrid go in search of their tenth triumph in Europe’s premier competition.

“I’d be happy to play Bayern, because we knocked them out a couple of years ago, or Inter, which is a great team,” Ramos concluded.