Chelsea v Barcelona: Xavi talks tough ahead of Champions League semifinal tie

06 May 2009 14:56
Guus Hiddink's side successfully nullified the attacking threat of the Spanish champions when the sides met at the Nou Camp, drawing derisory assessments of Chelsea's tactics from both Barcelona's players and the Spanish press.[LNB]Barcelona had the better of the chances in the first leg but Chelsea held out for a nil-nil draw and in the process became the first team this season to prevent the hosts scoring at the Nou Camp.[LNB] Related ArticlesChelsea v Barcelona previewNow or never for Chelsea old boysGuardiola: Barcelona will be positiveWatch Barca destroy RealPique revels in battleHit-and-miss BarcelonaXavi, who was instrumental in Barcelona's 6-2 destruction of Real Madrid last weekend, a result that put Barcelona within touching distance of defending their league title and brought up their 100th goal of the season, believes Chelsea overstepped the mark in the first leg, but insists Barcelona will be prepared to fight their corner in London.[LNB]'Chelsea play very tough and maybe sometimes a little too tough," he said.[LNB]'But that is their game. We like to play football how it should be played and that is the sort of football the fans deserve to see in the semi-final of the Champions League.[LNB]'We must not allow Chelsea to define that we play another way. We just won't allow that to happen.'[LNB]Barcelona's technical director, Txiki Beguiristain, echoed Xavi's confidence and claimed Barcelona will score at Stamford Bridge, becuase they always score away from home.[LNB]"This team plays to create scoring chances," said the man who has done much to dictate the philosophy of the current side.[LNB]"It's difficult for me to explain how Barcelona could go out on the pitch looking for a draw. The idea of playing for a score draw doesn't exist.[LNB]"We want to play our football, the kind we always play."[LNB] 

Source: Telegraph