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"The leader of Spanish champions, Brazilian Ronaldinho, stated that there is no possibility for his teammates to rest on their laurels after a record-breaking seventeen consecutive wins.
'The first part of the season went well, but our goal is to play even better in the second,' Ronaldinho quoted the Brazilian newspaper 'Sport'.
The Catalan superclub has secured 17 consecutive victories in all competitions, surpassing the record of 15 wins in a row in the Spanish championship set by Madrid's 'Real' in 1960-61.
'Barcelona' is currently at the top of the Spanish championship after the first round, leading Pamplona's 'Osasuna' by seven points. They have also reached the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, where they will face London's 'Chelsea', and in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, they will play against the winner of the pair 'Zaragoza' and Madrid's 'Atletico'.
'We don't need to look back at our opponents, although we must respect each one of them,' Ronaldinho said. 'We have the advantage and if we continue to play this way, we will become champions.'
However, Ronaldinho acknowledged that the next few weeks will be a serious test for 'Barcelona' as they will be without their most productive player, not only for the team but also for the Spanish championship, Samuel Eto'o, who will be competing with the Cameroon national team in Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations.
'It's really not good that we don't have Samuel - he is a very important player and currently in great form,' Ronaldinho said.
Winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year award, Ronaldinho added that it is essential for 'Barcelona' not to abandon their style of play that they promote.
'We always try to show good football, while sometimes our opponents only come out to defend,' the Brazilian said. 'We must believe in our style of play, as it suits us perfectly.'
On Sunday, 'Barcelona' will face Vitoria's 'Alaves' team, which is at the bottom of the league table, at home, after unexpectedly defeating 'Deportivo' 0-2 in La Coruna in the previous round."
