Source: Daily_Mail
Messi's no flop and will prove that against United, says Pique
Gerard Pique has warned his former Manchester United team-mates thatLionel Messi is ready to show England just what he can do in theChampions League final on Wednesday.
Barcelona defenderPique, who played a major part in United's march to their ChampionsLeague triumph last season, has dismissed the criticism that Messistruggles against clubs from England.
Argentina star Messi has yet to score when confronted by Premier League opposition, having come up against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United in recent years.
However, Pique said: 'It's not a fair criticism. It's true that he hasn't scored but he has played really well. It doesn't matter whether it's an English side or not, we expect him to do well as he's one of the best players in the world.
'We have confidence in him. Sometimes there's too much pressure, though. He's not a machine and sometimes he can have bad games.'
Wednesday's final has been billed as the battle of the planet's top two players, with world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo up against Messi, who finished second in that poll.
Pique has played with both and said: 'Ronaldo is more complete in that he's good in the air, good at shooting and he's quick and strong. But when Leo's got the ball he can create attacks just by himself, which alone can win you ties.'
Eidur Gudjohnsen, who played against Messi with Chelsea but has been a Barcelona team-mate for the past three seasons, also dismisses the idea that the Argentinian struggles against English tactics.
'I don't see anything in it,' he said. 'When we played against United at Old Trafford in the semifinal last year he was absolutely brilliant. 'I don't know where that theory comes from. Maybe he hasn't scored but hopefully he will change that very soon.'
