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16.09.2009 23:57
“It’s never easy when there are 9 players in the goal area”
Vanessa Forns
Barça were unable to break down Inter’s defensive wall, but as Josep Guardiola told reporters after the match in the Giuseppe Meazza: “It’s never easy when there are 9 players in the goal area”.
Barça had a few chances but Julio Cesar kept a clean sheet for the Italian champions. Guardiola is well aware that Italian sides are notoriously difficult to break down: “Maybe we lacked a bit of bite from the midfield to unsettle them”.
No complaints
For Guardiola, Barça’s performance improved as the game went on: "In the first half, we didn’t work the ball well out from defence. We improved in the second half. I’ve got no complaints”.
Not good, not bad
Guardiola is reasonably happy with the result although he admitted that it could have been better: “The score is what it is. It’s not bad but it isn’t good either”.
Barça true to their style
However, the manager is proud that his players are staying true to their style of football: “Everyone saw that we tried to win this match. Nobody can deny that. And that’s something to be proud of”.
Laporta: “Barça dominated”
Club president Joan Laporta said after the match: “Barça dominated. We worked hard and showed
tremendous spirit. Barça dominated and perhaps we deserved to win”. However, he was
disappointed that so much possession did not translate into goals: “I want to congratulate
the players because they did very well. It’s a pity we weren’t sharper in front of the
goal. It’ll go in sooner or later”.
However, Joan Laporta declined to criticise the referee for not giving a penalty for handball by Stankovic. “The referee’s job is very complicated. I never talk about their work. I’m sure he did it as well as possible”. Finally, he denied that the Club was obsessed by the prospect of playing the final of the CL in Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium: “We’re not thinking about that. We have to maintain our motivation and be humble. The team is getting back its personality”.
However, Joan Laporta declined to criticise the referee for not giving a penalty for handball by Stankovic. “The referee’s job is very complicated. I never talk about their work. I’m sure he did it as well as possible”. Finally, he denied that the Club was obsessed by the prospect of playing the final of the CL in Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium: “We’re not thinking about that. We have to maintain our motivation and be humble. The team is getting back its personality”.
