La Liga’s season ends in two and a half months. Knowing this and how players think, Pep Guardiola decided recently to give a motivational pep-talk to the team. After a string of questionable play and results, he sensed it was the time to step in and see to it that the team was focused for the final months of competition. After almost a year and a half of constant playing, as well as the 2010 World Cup only 99 days away, it would be easy for players to lose focus.

Speaking to the team, Guardiola said, “We can no longer afford to give away points because from now on, there aren’t any games that are less important than others. What we do in the league can affect what happens in the Champions League; one bad result in one competition can end up carrying over to the other; for that reason, we must give our all in every game, no matter who we play. This year we will win the double or we won’t win anything,” he continued.

This weekend, Barca plays away to Almeria, who sit 13th in La Liga. Almeria has had an impressive run of form recently. In their last four league games they’ve beaten Sporting Gijon, Atletico Madrid, and Racing Santander, while drawing away to Getafe. Couple Almeria’s recent form with the fact that most Barca first team players have been away on international duty and this weekend could prove to be a difficult match. This year, Barcelona has not fared well following international breaks, where they’ve dropped points against Valencia, Bilbao, and Villarreal.

Keeping this in mind, it seems that Pep’s speech has come just in time. Taking all three points in Almeria will be a great morale booster for the upcoming matches against Valencia and Stuttgart. Pep has always said that titles are won by defeating teams such as Almeria and this time should prove to be no different.