Player Reactions: Soundly beaten but not sour
Tito Vilanova
Before anyone in the UEFA mixed zone was allowed to begin questioning, Tito Vilanova unequivocally congratulated Bayern Munich for their progression to the final and complimented the high level of play they demonstrated.
Not surprisingly the subject of Lionel Messi was next for Tito. ”He played in Bilbao on Saturday because he felt better. He imprinted a change on the team but at the end of the game he felt some strange sensations. He trained yesterday and today, but he didn’t feel right. He is an explosive player and there was a risk he could tear (his hamstring), so he couldn’t help the team in these conditions.”
Vilanova rejected insinuations that a major squad overhaul is necessary and that this heavy defeat signaled some finite end for this Barça dynasty. He said, ”all squads are reinforced every season. I said the other day that we didn’t need to change much, but rather recuperate the players we do have.”
Emphasis was also placed on the many injuries and absences for Barça versus Bayern who were effectively fully armed for the matches. Vilanova also accepted that it was in the first leg that his team really lost the tie.
Xavi Hernández
Xavi similarly gave the Germans their deserved kudos, saying, “Bayern were better. They dominated all the facets of football, tactically they are very good, physically very strong and mentally superior.”
The midfield legend, however, was more interested on focusing on the future. He insisted that all this talk of eras ending or guards changing is “drastic” and that “the team [Barça] has a future, we’ve competed very well up until now. I’m always optimistic and this team has the desire.” He said that all they can do is “carry on” and continue to Sunday where another competition awaits.
He admitted the team tried their best but when Robben scored, they felt the “impossibility” of the task. Finally, Xavi made it clear this was “no excuse” at all but he did want to highlight the absences of Puyol, Abidal, Busquets, and Messi.
Gerard Piqué
Piqué, who put in a real shift on Wednesday, was exemplary in his responses to journalists Wednesday evening: “When another side is so superior to you, there isn’t any option except to congratulate them. I think we got to this stage of the tournament a little bit under pressure in terms of our resources. In all honesty, the second half was really tough. But the first-half display wasn’t bad and I don’t think the absence of Leo Messi changed our mood.”
“What’s important now is to get ourselves ready to focus on winning the league and completing that task as quickly as possible. Then for the coming year there will be some decisions for us to take.”
Cesc Fàbregas
The player with the most kilometers to his name Wednesday evening was in tears leaving the pitch. He admitted that the players felt “hurt“, Bayern were “very strong“, and that Barça struggled immensely with the counter attack play of Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben. Cesc called for a “reaction” and needing to win the league as soon as possible. Cesc did not want to talk about the absence of players rather stating, “we are Barça, we don’t make excuses.”
Dani Alves
In interviews with several media outlets, Dani Alves spoke in length on the match. First and foremost he echoed his colleagues’ words, saying, “Bayern were better than us throughout the tie. The only thing left for us is simply to salute them and congratulate them. Bayern have a great team.” He noted that he believed FC Barcelona played with “a lot of intensity but didn’t score” while Bayern were “clinical” with their chances.
Alves felt the best way to move forward in the short-term was to put this behind them and win the league. Yet he admits that there needs to be “time to reflect on how we need to improve in order to have one more chance to win this terrific competition.”
The Brazilian wanted to thank the fans for their support, acknowledging “that fans understand football and they know that when you get knocked down you get up and you keep on fighting.”
In conclusion, Alves made a promise to the Camp Nou faithful that the team “will return” and that they “still have that hunger to keep on winning and the fact that we were eliminated in the semi-finals proves that.”
Andrés Iniesta
Similar words came from Iniesta on Bayern’s superiority but he placed a bit more emphasis on the learning lesson it provides.
“This team [Barça] gave its all to beat Bayern but for a number of reasons – their physical power, their positional play, and other things – they deserved to beat us. In the away leg and in this match they were better than us. They are in form and it shows, but it stings us that we didn’t compete at our normal level. You are left knocking at the door of the final and that’s very sore.”
The midfield magician stressed that there is much to learn and gain in such hefty defeat. He admits the team has “seen” mistakes from the two games and that “defeat, if you use them well, are how to improve the future.”
Finally he wanted to “thank our fans for their great support – it really helped to see the expressions of hope and belief on their faces” and relay them the message that “next year we’ll be back trying to win this tournament again. Now it’s time to win the league and to feel good about having done so.”
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