Alba won't take place for granted

Posted Tuesday, August 14, 2012 by ESPN

Barcelona defender Jordi Alba stated that he's willing to prove his worth after making the step up to join one of the big two sides in the La Liga this summer.

Alba, 23, is a resident of L'Hospitalet, a small town near Barcelona, and said he was "honoured" to gain a chance to play for the Catalan side and join the list of illustrious stars such as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique on its books.

But he formerly played for Valencia and while the side from the east was a formidable team of its own accord, having qualified for the Champions League this season, he knows that there is a gulf in class that needs to be overcome in order to secure a place n Barca's starting XI.

The left-back promised to do his best over the new season to become a Barcelona regular, much like David Villa who made a similar switch from Valencia and has impressed the local supporters until a broken foot curtailed his season last term.

"I'll work hard to play at the top of my game, but I'm aware of the club's quality and that it will be difficult to earn a starting position," he told reporters at a pre-match press conference ahead of Barcelona's 2-0 friendly win over Dinamo Bucharest.

"I've come to learn and it's an honour to be with these players."

Alba was not selected by Spain manager Vicente del Bosque for the national side's friendly against on Wednesday. But the defender is not perturbed by the snub and will use the free time to recover from his exertions at the Olympics football tournament.

"The manager makes his list and it's his decision. I played in the Olympics and now I'm not going, I can use the time to work with my club."

Barcelona kick off their La Liga campaign with a visit to Real Sociedad on Sunday.