Barcelona FC coach Pep Guardiola has come out and stated that the fact that A.C Milan are satisfied with the goalless draw at the San Siro last night is “the highest praise,” his team can get but acknowledged that the second leg of the quarter finals of the Champions League ” will be terrible.”
“A Champions League match is never sentenced in the first leg. Although, considering the state of the pitch, shooting at goal 17 times is quite extraordinary. Milan is pleased with the result and this is the best compliment you can give us. Milan has won seven European Cups and I’ve played one on one with them”, Guardiola explained at a press conference.
“Creating a precedent does not work in football,” said the Catalan coach speaking about the 2-2 draw the Italian team managed to get at the Camp Nou in the group stage. “We know it will be a difficult game, they have great quality, they defend well and put seven players in the penalty area. But our fans must give us a push.”
Because, in Pep’s mind, “there is only one option, which is winning, and together we will not fail.” “We have failed to score an away goal. But it is simple: to get to the semifinals we have to win the match. The draw does not help us,” he added emphatically.
“It’s what you get. If we rationalize about it, all we can say is that we deserved an away goal. We had our chances, a lot of control and chances, but the pitch was very slippery and it was dangerous,” he highlighted.
Complaints about the state of the pitch at the San Siro
Regarding, the state of the grass, Guardiola added: “Barca should be given some merit for playing football or at least trying on this pitch. It is a very nice ground but it also is very tight. The times we have played here have been very difficult ”
“Something must be done. We can adapt to all playing conditions. It becomes a problem for the spectators and fans. A ground in these conditions is difficult. But to be the champions you must pass all tests. We have passed the test many times before and will continue to do so”, Guardiola asserted.
And although Guardiola has refused to assess the possible penalties that were not given, he stressed that if you have not been given a penalty “it’s because the referee has not seen it. It doesn’t matter. To be the champions of Europe you must overcome many things”, he reiterated. “What we must do instead is to play better football, there is no other way.”
For the second leg, Guardiola was pretty blunt: “Our fans can not fail us. They have to support us and take us to the semifinals, we can not fail.”
Attendance. 80,000
Milan is pleased with the 0-0 result, Barcelona was the better team.