Champions League Quarterfinals Leg 1
FC Barcelona 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Barça coach Martino reacts:
“This is the first time we’ve played with the ‘4 pequeños’ (four small guys: Xavi, Cesc, Iniesta, Messi) [against Atlético]. I don’t think that we have a large set of variants. We always play the same way, everyone knows how we’re going to play and we almost always win.”
It was very difficult to get in through the middle. Even more so for Messi, who had a couple of chances that were well saved by the keeper.” At the end of the match we created good attacking plays and that’s why I didn’t send in Pedro, a fourth striker, because I didn’t want to lose creativity in our elaboration of our game.”
We’re very accustomed to playing every three to four days and I see no reason why we can’t put in a good game against Betis. We have put in a lot of effort, but we’re in a position to keep on going.”
Atletico coach Simone on the draw at Camp Nou:
I’m leaving happy with the effort and the result is good, although everything is in the air”. The team has done an enormous job in a match where the competing teams have very different styles. Each has done what suited them best”.
he second leg in the Calderón “will be a very hard and exciting match. We’ll compete because the matches against them have been very good”
Barcelona “has played as usual. A lot of possession, playing between the lines, a lot of one-on-one, big replacement possibilities, Alexis, Pedro out… I like to face Barça because you learn and improve”.
