Almunia: "I hate Blue "
He also made it clear he would rather play Chelsea in
the Euro final in Rome on May 27 as they would be much easier to
beat than Barcelona. Almunia declared: “In the final I would want
Chelsea. They are more predictable, whereas Barcelona have greater
resources.
“We know what Chelsea are like. We have them measured.
They wouldn’t surprise us. “Our semi-final, first leg with
Manchester United was much better than Chelsea’s against Barcelona.
Chelsea just went to Spain to defend and it made for a boring
game.
“They showed that all they wanted was a 0-0 result.
“Our manager Arsene Wenger doesn’t know how to put a team together
that isn’t going for a win. “United wanted to seal the game at home
but didn’t manage it and our morale is high. “We have a great home
record this season and I know we can get through to the
final.”
As for the Chelsea followers, Almunia added: “They say
their fans are ghosts. You don’t see or hear them. “A lot of people
travel with English teams and it surprised me that not many Chelsea
supporters went to Spain for their tie with Barcelona.”
Almunia was the star of the show at Old Trafford in
midweek, even though the Gunners ended up being beaten 1-0. His
heroics have given Wenger’s men the opportunity to do the business
at home in the return on Tuesday and reach the final showdown in
the Italian capital.
Almunia admits even he was impressed by the way he
performed in the first leg. He said: “I had one of my best games
since I’ve been in England.
“The Carlos Tevez chance was the most difficult,
because it went so quickly. “I will remember it as one of the best
saves of my career.”
Wenger was equally impressed and again stressed what a
good job the 31 year old could do for England between the sticks
once he becomes eligible under residency rules in July.
He said: “There are international rules which have to
be respected. But if it is possible legally, why not? “Then it is
more a choice left to the English FA or to Manuel Almunia’s
desire.
“I believe he is not only good enough but he is the
best. “It is down to what you expect morally and mentally from a
national team. “It is more a moral problem, maybe for Manuel
Almunia, because does he consider he has a chance to play in the
Spanish national side or not?”
