Barcelona forward Lionel Messi believes the ''mental
strength'' his team showed to get past Chelsea shows they deserve
to win the Champions League
Andres Iniesta's stoppage-time equaliser at Stamford Bridge
earlier this month saw Pep Guardiola's side eliminate the Blues on
away goals in the semi-finals to earn a final date with defending
champions Manchester United in Rome next Wednesday.
And Messi reckons the fact his side never gave up when they
looked to be heading out in west London will stand them in good
stead in the Italian capital. He told Champions magazine:
''We were suffering right up until stoppage time at Stamford
Bridge. But that's one more proof that we deserve to win the
Champions League.
''The fact we beat Chelsea, and the manner in which we did it,
shows Barcelona aren't just a good team - we have impressive mental
strength too.
''In Spain, Chelsea gave us no space. They put four or five men
in defence and we couldn't score past them. But that didn't make us
give up.
''We were at their place and we were losing from early on but we
gave them a fight right to the end. That last move was just
glorious - my heart nearly exploded when I saw Iniesta's shot go
in.''
Since that night at the Bridge, Barca have clinched Copa del Rey
and Primera Division glory and Messi is desperately hoping they can
complete phase three of a historic treble next week.
''Winning the Champions League interests me more than
anything,'' he said. ''I'm dreaming of Barcelona becoming the
Champions League winners. And, at least until 27 May, no-one can
take that dream away from me.
''The Champions League final will be the most fantastic thing
that has happened to me in all my life. These are incredible
moments you can't really explain with words; in a match like the
one in Rome, the whole world is hanging on your every move.''
The match pits Messi against 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year
Cristiano Ronaldo, but the South American knows United are far from
a one-man team.
''They're a great team, Manchester,'' he said. ''If you go
through the whole squad, you'd be hard pushed to know which player
to choose if you had to pick just one.
''But clearly you have to start with Cristiano, a great forward
who can gambetea [a South American term for dribbling with
feints/checks/swerves/tricks] with speed and ease.
''And he has a great medium-range shot. We're conscious that in
Rome we can't give him time to think or get a shot in from
distance. He's a great footballer.''
Still, Barca will be focusing on their own game and trying to
finish off an already-memorable first season under rookie coach
Guardiola in style.
''Guardiola is a piece of history, so he understood straight
away how to speak to the players about the way to play football at
this club,'' Messi said of the 38-year-old, who took up the Nou
Camp reins last summer.
''So we were soon in tune with his playing style. For example, a
couple of times he played me in positions where I didn't think I'd
be able to give my maximum, like when I played as a deep-lying
number nine against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu [Messi scored twice
as Barca won 6-2 on May 2].
''But he explained to me that I could play there - and in that
area, a few metres deeper than where a number nine usually
operates, I was going to hurt Real. And he was right. Pep knows a
lot. You can tell that very quickly. He's very hard-working, modest
and optimistic.''
