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Blues manager, Guus Hiddink utilized an ultra-defensive strategy and a physical approach to stifle the Blaugrana attacking tidal wave and duly earned a 0-0 draw, while the referee was condemned by numerous Barca figures for allowing the English side to get away with an excessive amount of dangerous challenges.
Now, midfielder Michael Ballack has chipped in with his own two cents about all the fuss surrounding the much talked-about game, starting with the match officiating.
“The referee did a great job. This is football and the
“You have to play differently against Barca as you do against
The German then responded to his nemesis, Andres Iniesta, who was one of the more vocal players to criticize the referee as well as
“Iniesta is a great player and there’s no need for him to talk that way,” he declared.
“In fact, it was a game where it was not necessary to talk about the referees at all. But this is how players react when they do not obtain the result they want.”
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Young Gerard Pique has exceeded all expectations in his very first season in the senior
But the 22-year-old wants the team to quickly move on from the triumphant romp over their arch adversaries and focus on
“We must stop speaking about the 6-2 win against
“To talk about that game does not benefit us in any way. Sure, it was a nice result and we celebrated as we did, but if on Wednesday we do not progress past the semi-finals, what happened last Saturday will become secondary.
“It is necessary to keep our feet on the ground. We have the capacity and the quality but we have seen in the past few years how in the world of football, the big teams that look as though they would dominate Spanish or European football have disappointed.”
Pique then analysed the strategy
“Right from the outset, they will tighten their lines. This is where we must be very solid ourselves and move the ball around well, as we did at the Bernabeu,” he offered.
“Barca only know how to play to win, which is why we will go out there and attack. If we can avoid giving away corner kicks and committing fouls on the edge of the area, then we can win.”
Finally, the tall centre-back spoke about his potential defensive partner, Martin Caceres, who looks certain to deputise for the injured Rafa Marquez and suspended Carles Puyol.
He said, “In all the games that he has played, he has showed that he is a very solid defender, he’s fast and he’s strong. For the match on Wednesday, he will be a vital player for us.”
KS Leong, Goal.com