12.01.2011 23:59

Guardiola impressed and pleased

Vanessa Forns

Pep Guardiola was delighted with his team's display in the Copa del Rey triumph against Real Betis and felt that a giant stride has been taken towards a place in the semi finals.

The Blaugrana coach was careful to sound his usual note of caution as he warned that bigger surprises had been known in football, but the 5-0 scoreline was fairly convincing. "It is a fantastic result to push us towards the semis," he said. "In the history of football there have been a lot of surprises though. We will still go there and be prudent."

Real Betis are top of the second division and Guardiola warned before the game that they would give his side a match and so it proved, despite the eventual outcome. "Betis had five clear chances at our goalkeeper and that has been extraordinary," the trainer commented. "It would be a lack of respect to say that the tie has been won. One must never assume anything and we will have to take the second game very seriously. There are 90 minutes left against a very good team. We will now watch the video of the game to see what we can do better."

Betis praise

After Betis' confident approach to the match Guardiola admitted that he was impressed. "It is a fact that they were one of the best teams to have been here this season," he continued. "It was a fantastic game, not just because of the result but also because both teams had plenty of chances. They complimented by making a huge effort and they were very intense. I want to congratulate Betis on their display because there players were daring and they had so many opportunities. They are a very good team and I give us a lot of merit for winning the game."

Intense game

"Today everyone saw a great game between two teams that created chances," Guardiola continued on the same theme. "The fans saw a side that wanted to attack play another team that wanted to attack. In the end it was an intense game and was very entertaining."

Messi compliments

Bojan Krkic was not called upon to play and Guardiola explained why. "It was purely me managing the squad," he said. "I do not want the same players to always play these games and I intend to give everyone a chance." On Messi's performance that saw him score a hat-trick Guardiola added: "He had a great game and he must be congratulated. He has again scored three and has played very well. I want him to be happy and for him to continue like this."

Trio pride

On the parading of the Ballon d'Or by the three finalists Guardiola was pleased. "In Zurich we did not take a photo of all three of them and that is why we wanted them all to be together," he commented. "They should all be happy with the way they played in 2010."