Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola said there would be no way of stopping Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in his present form ahead of their UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg clash yesterday.
In his former role as Barca boss, Guardiola frequently described Messi as the best player in the world.
“You don’t stop Messi, in this form, no,” Guardiola told a news conference in Barcelona on Tuesday.
“In the last few months he has been unstoppable. He is too good. Maybe you can try different tactics like getting close to him, making it difficult for him to get the ball, put three players on him, but against talent of this size then you cannot defend against it. We will have to look at other ways to win the game,” Guardiola said.
The Argentine was going into the game having scored 51 goals in all competitions this season and is part of a formidable attacking trident with Luis Suarez and Neymar. They had notched up 108 goals between them prior to the fixture.
Guardiola also felt it would be futile to try and beat Barcelona at their own possession-based game.
“No team has beaten Barcelona for possession. It has always been like that. We will do what I think is necessary though and we will see who is in [the final in] Berlin next week,” he said.
“It is difficult to find weaknesses in this Barca team, which has so much talent, but we will try and make the most of our virtues. Barca have talent and they know how to play together,” he said.
While Guardiola said it was likely to be an emotional occasion, he was clear in his mind about what he needed to do.
“It is great to be here and it is impossible not to think of the memories. I knew that if I trained other big teams I would come here with them, but I am not here for people to pay homage, but to take Bayern to the final,” he said.
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