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Cesc: "We were loyal to our style of play" | FC Barcelona
"It’s painful to be eliminated this way, seeing that we had a lot of chances to score," said a very up-front Cesc, who added "it’s a very hard blow." The midfielder, however, reassured hit teammates and Barça fans that "we have to hold our heads high" and that next year "we’ll have the chance to do important things." He added that the players have shown "that they can better themselves."
"It wasn’t meant to be this year. The first thing that goes through my head is immense sorrow. Forgive me if I’m not clairvoyant, but I have the perception that with time I’ll say: ‘we played an excellent tie.’" Josep Guardiola analyzed the two-leg tie against Chelsea with his heart and and head: "we played exceptionally well for 180 minutes, we did everything we could to be in the final. We’ve never worked this hard to be in a final."
When asked whether Barca deserved the win more than his own team for their performance, Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo was clear. "I believe that when you go through or when you win - we haven't lost in two legs against Barca - I think that we deserve to be in the final. We play a different style to Barcelona and their style is unique. It is different from us and I don't think they deserved, I think we deserved to go through," he said.
Gerard Piqué underwent tests at hospital after the collision with Víctor Valdés and Drogba. The player will remain in observation at hospital even though any type of injury has been ruled out. The Catalan defender was involved in a collision with Drogba and Valdés at the start of the first half of the Champions League semi-final at the Camp Nou. He was subbed off after 25 minutes for Dani Alves.
"We expect them to come at us so we will have to work hard defensively," the 27-year-old said. "The home supporters will be full of emotion and screaming their team on, which will play a part. If we're playing well in the first 20 minutes, though, they will calm down and that has to be our aim. I feel we must score; I think we will."
NOTE: This article is an interview with Bastian Schweinsteiger
Asked if he could state that he was going to carry on as Real Madrid manager, Mourinho replied: "That is not important [at the moment]. But I think so. I have a contract and I do not have any reason not to be here, but before the last game there will be sufficient time to talk to the players and the directors and decide what is best for me and for the players. In any case, it is the players that matter [not my future]."
If this year's Champions League title were awarded to the club with the soundest finances among the four semi-finalists Bayern Munich would probably win with Real Madrid runners-up, according to a study of their accounts published on Monday. Bayern and Real both reported a net profit in the accounts used for the study, 2010-11 for the Spaniards and 2009-10 for their German rivals, according to Jose Maria Gay, a professor of accounting at the University of Barcelona. The other two semi-finalists, holders Barcelona and Chelsea, by contrast, made losses in 2010-11 and 2009-10 respectively, the study showed.
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