Football the best therapy for barca's vilanova

A 3-1 victory at Malaga on Sunday completed a Spanish best first half of a La Liga season with 55 of a possible 57 points in the bag, surpassing Guardiola's 52-point record for the same

spell two years ago. Holders Barca are back in action against fifth-placed Malaga at the Nou Camp on Wednesday in a King's Cup quarter-final first leg, when cancer sufferer Vilanova

has the chance to move a step closer towards his first piece of silverware. Guardiola amassed 14 trophies from a possible 19 before he stepped aside last May, and Vilanova, having lost out

to Real Madrid in the season-opening Spanish Super Cup in August, has his eyes on a May 18 Cup final. You may like Many in the local media have already declared Barca league champions as

they hold an 11-point advantage over second-placed Atletico Madrid and an 18-point lead over ailing champions Real, but Vilanova was being prudent on Sunday. "The league isn't won

yet. I am a fan of mathematics," he said after the Malaga game. "It will get more difficult from now on. Coming up we have the cup and the Champions League. We aren't

invincible. If we ease up, we will lose games." Vilanova was Guardiola's assistant and remains a close personal friend, but his early success has been all the more impressive

considering he was forced to constantly re-jig his defence at the start of the campaign. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. A string of

injuries to defenders, which included losing first-choice centre-backs Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique for two months apiece, tested his abilities while he appears to have solved the riddle of

how to blend Cesc Fabregas into the side. The former Arsenal captain was overlooked by Guardiola for key games towards the end of last season but has now become a fixture in Barca's

slick-passing midfield alongside Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets. Guardiola had a special relationship with World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, who was too distraught to even

attend his former boss' farewell news conference, but the change in coach has not disrupted the Argentine's incredible goal-scoring rhythm. ONLY NEGATIVE The only negative for

Vilanova so far has been the need for him to have a second round of throat surgery, after having had a tumour removed from his saliva glands in November 2011. The 44-year-old is still

combining chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment with his work after last month's second operation but is keen to play down his illness. "I am well and able to work," he

said. "But in my case, I love football. To be with the players, to kick a ball and to train, there is no better therapy. "I want to be the protagonist for my work, not for my

illness." Malaga, who have also reached the Champions League last 16, gave a good account of themselves at the Rosaleda on Sunday despite the scoreline and remain dangerous opponents.

"I don't think this game sets a benchmark for the cup encounters," Vilanova said. "We will probably use different players and so will they. Each duel is unique."