Pep at a loss to explain Barca reverse
Reuters - Tuesday 24 April 2012, 23:51
Pep Guardiola was unable to
explain his emotions or pin down why his exceptionally gifted
Barcelona team had failed in their bid to get past Chelsea and
into a third Champions League final in four years on Tuesday.
The holders, bidding to become the first club to win
back-to-back European titles since AC Milan in 1990, lost 1-0 to
the ultra-defensive Londoners at Stamford Bridge last week
despite dominating possession and creating a host of chances.
Then, in a dramatic return match at the Nou Camp, they were
unable to kill off their rivals despite leading 2-0 on the night
and having an extra man following the dismissal of Chelsea
captain John Terry shortly before half-time.
World Player of the Year Lionel Messi could not add to his
63-goal season, smashing a penalty against the bar just after
the break and later striking a low shot that ricocheted off a
post before the visitors rallied to draw 2-2.
He has now failed to score in eight games against Chelsea,
twice as many as against any other club in Europe.
Guardiola told a post-match news conference he did not know
what else Barca could have done but their elimination from
Europe's elite club competition highlighted the fact that when
their flowing passing game fails they have little scope to
adjust their tactics.
With only defenders Carles Puyol or Gerard Pique able to
challenge the imposing Chelsea players in the air, pumping balls
into the box was not much of an option, especially after the
latter went off with concussion midway through the first half.
SADDEST NIGHT
In the end, Guardiola was left musing on whether luck was
simply against the club this season following a spectacular run
of success that has yielded 13 trophies since he took over in
2008.
"I have a feeling that sometimes football is like this," the
former midfielder told reporters.
"To be honest, I just think that this year was not our turn.
This year, it seems like we couldn't do it and that's it.
"I am sorry if I am not very clear but I have a lot of
emotions inside right now. Maybe in time I will see things more
clearly. I don't even know how I feel really.
"I don't know what to tell the players about why they are
not in the final Yes we are sad but it's not our saddest night."
The 41-year-old, who has yet to extend his contract beyond
the end of this season, religiously sticks to a way of playing
he and most of his squad learned at Barca's youth school, where
the ball is made to do the work and offense is paramount.
"We are not a team that can play in different ways," he
said. "We have a peculiar way of playing and the opposition
adjusts to that and that's it.
"We did everything we could and we got to a semi-final but
no matter what we did it hasn't been enough.
"Probably we did something wrong so we need to see what that
was and try to correct it in the future.
"Maybe this is a lesson I should learn, that we should hold
back and not be so offensive."
With arch rivals Real Madrid closing in on the La Liga
title, Barca's focus now shifts to the King's Cup final on May
25 against Athletic Bilbao and Guardiola said he would discuss
his future with club president Sandro Rosell in coming days.
He admitted that the positive reaction from the fans on
Tuesday despite their disappointment might help persuade him to
stay.
"I imagine so yes," he said when asked if that were the
case. "In the next few days I'll talk to the president and we'll
take a relaxed decision on what is the best thing for the club."