N P Pradeep was back to his comfort zone as he managed to force a save from the goal keeper from 40 yards out when India defeated Associació Esportiva El Prat 2 - 0 in their second game at the Centre D'Alt Rendiment Esportiu on July 29. Footballkerala.com caught up with Pradeep later and he was glad to share his thoughts on the match and the tour.
The match was held at the Centre D'Alt Rendiment Esportiu, the national sports training center just outside Barcelona in Sant Cugat del Vallés. Abhishek scored both the goals in the second hand when Renedy played the creative role who bombed forward on the right. Indian team, once again played two sets of players in either halves.
FK : How was the match?
Pradeep : They (Associació Esportiva El Prat) were a better opposition than the ones we had played in our first match. We played well. I had a good match, I am happy with that. I had two shots, one on target. Moreover, we are pleased with the result.
FK: Any changes in the team from first match?
Pradeep : No. We played the same team that played the other day. Different set of players for each half. I played the first half. In the 2nd half change Jagpreet(Jagpreet Singh),Wadoo (Mehrajuddin Wadoo)came to the midfeld. In the first half, Renu (Renedy Singh) and Deepak (Deepak Mondal).
FK: How is the climate, food?
Pradeep: No, its not cold. Its normal. Hot, humid, like in Kerala. In the match we had drink-breaks. Match was played in four quarters. We are staying at 'Princess Sofia’, and the food is good. We have rice, pasta, pizza, chicken, beef, etc.
FK: Your roommate?
Pradeep : Climax (Climax Lawrence)
FK: About Barcelona?
Pradeep : We went to the Camp Nou. After the practice, we went to the stadium where Ibrahamovic was officially presented. We had free entry to the gallery. I couldn’t get any snaps as we came there after the practice, a 25 minute ride. It was a nice experience to be in the Camp Nou.
FK: Thanks for sharing some valuable time with us.
Pradeep : Thanks
Pradeep and the first team will have a day’s rest and they are trying to continue their good performance in the coming matches. Footballkerala also talked with Pradeep about the first match were he said the impetus was about getting fit. He also shared with us the mentality of the team going into the next match, the Indian supporters (more than 100), and the preparations.
Footballkerala wishes the whole team the very best for their upcoming fixtures.
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Sunday 2 August 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.