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| ''It’s no use feeling sorry for yourself'' |
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As far as Josep Guardiola is concerned, the long road journey from Barcelona to Milan is no excuse for a substandard performance against Inter. He promised plenty of effort and described Mourinho as “one of the best coaches in the world”.
It’s not clear to what extent the marathon journey will affect the Barca players but Guardiola is determined than the 14-hour trip will not be an excuse: “It’s not what we would wish for but there are plenty of teams in the second or third division who do this all the time. It’s no use feeling sorry for yourself”.
The only option
“The problem is the volcano. That’s the reason and there’s very little that we can do. The only option was to travel by coach. A lot of people have been stranded around Europe. I prefer doing a 14-hour journey to play in the semi-finals of the Champions League than stay at home!”
Time for humour
Guardiola put an end to discussion of the journey by “thanking” Inter for knocking out CSKA in the previous round: “Imagine the journey to Moscow. We would have had to leave straight after Saturday’s match to arrive!”
A great opportunity
All in all, Guardiola believes that reaching the semi-finals far outweighs any travel inconvenience: “To reach the final you have to suffer because we play against some very strong teams”.
Group stage no guide
The two teams met earlier in the year in the group stage but Guardiola believes that Tuesday evening’s game will be a different matter: “We’re playing against a team that’s in great form. They’ve got extraordinary players in every position. I’ve been surprised by the strength of our opponents and the way they are playing”.
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