BARCELONA ROUND OFF DREAM SEASON AFTER PERFECT START IN SCOTLAND
(28 May 2009)
FC Barcelona last night created history by claiming the club's third UEFA Champions League success with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in Rome. The win capped a sensational debut season for coach Pep Guardiola with the Catalans recently crowned La Liga champions as well as picking up the Copa Del Rey.
FC Barcelona's preparations for what turned out to be an historic treble-winning season began back in July 2008 when, for the second successive year, PLATINUM ONE delivered the club's pre-season Stage at St Andrew's, Scotland. PLATINUM ONE, Official 2008/09 Pre-Season Partner to FC Barcelona, facilitated the club's transport, accommodation and training requirements for the six night stay. Working in partnership with the coaching team at FC Barcelona, PLATINUM ONE invested in and created a top class training facility at the St Andrews University sports complex where
the first team squad completed eight training sessions.
FC Barcelona requested that PLATINUM ONE
arrange two friendly fixtures against SPL opposition during the club's stay. The first of those matches - a 6-0 win over Hibernian at Murrayfield - was Guardiola's first match in charge of his hometown club. FC Barcelona rounded off their training stay with a 5-1 win over Dundee United at Tannadice. Now, ten months later, the work put in by the team on the training fields of St Andrews, has paid off handsomely for this great club as they deservedly return to the pinnancle of European football.
Pep Guardiola expressed his satisfaction with the training camp at St Andrews commenting at the time, "The training facilities were superb and allowed the squad to work hard as we prepare for what will be a long, hard season. PLATINUM ONE have again delivered a fantastic pre-season camp for us and we were delighted to work with them once again". Eamon McLoughlin, Head of Football at PLATINUM ONE, today commented, "It is very satisfying to see Barcelona complete such as successful season. We worked hard with the club's backroom staff last summer to present the best possible environment for them to prepare for this season and to see the club win an historic treble is something that we at PLATINUM ONE can take no small amount of pride in".
ENDS