May 5, 2015 20:00:00
The Bayern Munich boss says there is no tactical plan to
nullify the Argentine's effect on matches but does not
want his players to focus solely on his old charge
Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has warned his
players that they have no chance of stopping Lionel
Messi if the Barcelona star is in the mood.
The 44-year-old managed the Argentine at Camp Nou for
four years and enjoyed great success by moving him
from the flank to a central attacking role.
The former Spain international will return to the club he
represented as player and coach in the Champions
League semi-finals on Wednesday and is worried about
the impact his old charge could have.
"If Messi is in top form, no defence can stop him,"
Guardiola said at a press conference.
"There is no system to stop Messi. He's too good. You
just have to try to limit him in another way - stop the ball
reaching him, but even then, you can't stop him."
However, Guardiola was also keen to stress that focusing
on only Messi could prove to be the undoing of his
troops.
"It's very difficult to find any weaknesses with talent like
this," he added.
"We're going to try to perform as well as we can. We're
going to try to better than we usually are. You know the
level of respect I have for these players and for
Barcelona.
"I think that they have the advantage because I know
them but when you think you might know what these
players are going to do they do something different.
"I know that from a defensive standpoint it's really
impossible to stop them. We can't stop them."
The Bayern Munich boss says there is no tactical plan to
nullify the Argentine's effect on matches but does not
want his players to focus solely on his old charge
Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has warned his
players that they have no chance of stopping Lionel
Messi if the Barcelona star is in the mood.
The 44-year-old managed the Argentine at Camp Nou for
four years and enjoyed great success by moving him
from the flank to a central attacking role.
The former Spain international will return to the club he
represented as player and coach in the Champions
League semi-finals on Wednesday and is worried about
the impact his old charge could have.
"If Messi is in top form, no defence can stop him,"
Guardiola said at a press conference.
"There is no system to stop Messi. He's too good. You
just have to try to limit him in another way - stop the ball
reaching him, but even then, you can't stop him."
However, Guardiola was also keen to stress that focusing
on only Messi could prove to be the undoing of his
troops.
"It's very difficult to find any weaknesses with talent like
this," he added.
"We're going to try to perform as well as we can. We're
going to try to better than we usually are. You know the
level of respect I have for these players and for
Barcelona.
"I think that they have the advantage because I know
them but when you think you might know what these
players are going to do they do something different.
"I know that from a defensive standpoint it's really
impossible to stop them. We can't stop them."