Barcelona legend Xavi reflects on playing Jose Mourinho’s Inter in 2010 – “he’s a very defensive Coach… it wasn’t easy”.
The Nerazzurri won the treble in 2010, beating Barça 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-final after a heroic defensive performance at Camp Nou.
The two sides meet again tomorrow, and the midfielder reflected on that tie.
“I remember those two games well,” Xavi told Corriere dello Sport.
Barcelona legend Xavi reflects on playing Jose Mourinho’s Inter in 2010 – “he’s a very defensive Coach… it wasn’t easy”.
The Nerazzurri won the treble in 2010, beating Barça 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-final after a heroic defensive performance at Camp Nou.
The two sides meet again tomorrow, and the midfielder reflected on that tie.
“I remember those two games well,” Xavi told Corriere dello Sport.
“We were in control in the first leg at San Siro and we took the lead, but the referee [Olegario] Benquerença didn’t help us much and Inter took control.
“They did well to press us high and win some balls in dangerous areas, but some of the referee’s decisions…
“In the return leg in Barcelona we were in control from beginning to end, especially after Thiago Motta was sent off.
“The comeback seemed possible after the 3-1 in the first leg, but instead [Samuel] Eto’o played fantastically as a full-back, [Diego] Milito was commendable and all the Nerazzurri sacrificed themselves.
“Being eliminated after dominating like that was painful. After [Gerard] Pique’s goal I thought we’d have a different ending…
“Mourinho is a very defensive Coach, and playing against his Inter was not easy. That’s his style, and he put it into practice at Chelsea and Real Madrid too.
“He takes care of all the details, he closes the gaps and he doesn’t give you much.
“I prefer another style of football. I’m not criticising, but I don’t like playing like that and my teams will never have that kind of attitude.
“Tomorrow’s game will be more-or-less like 2010. Barça will play the match, then Inter will defend and try to hit on the break with [Ivan] Perisic and [Mauro] Icardi.
“My former teammates are favourites and they’ll dominate possession to put their opponents under pressure. If you just focus on not conceding, it’s not easy to leave Camp Nou unscathed.”
The Catalans will be without Lionel Messi though…
“It’s a big advantage for Inter, because Leo is the best I’ve played with, the only one who can make the difference himself at any moment.
“More so than Cristiano Ronaldo? Yes, no doubt. In my opinion Messi is the best in the world, indeed the best of all time.”