Piqué: “I’m very happy to play for a team like Barça”

Gerard Piqué, who is in China on holiday, participated in an online chat session with Chinese Barça fans on the social network Tencent Weibo. The Azulgrana defender fielded questions from the Chinese supporters for half an hour, the questions ranged from both the personal aspects of the player’s life to his views on playing professional football for Barça.

Piqué, whose defensive prowess makes him a permanent fixture in Barça’s line-ups, was asked about his personal opinion on what makes a good defender: “first, you have to be fast. Barça’s style relies heavily on attacking, this means that defenders have to respond to situations quickly. Furthermore, it’s important to have confidence in yourself when you control the ball, you have to analyse the situation on the pitch and attack.” The style of Barça’s play is perfectly catered to Piqué’s experience as a player. The defender, who honed his skills as a football in the English Premier League, said that the “English style is faster than its Spanish counterpart,” when asked about his experience in Manchester United. However, the Catalan added that “in the Spanish league, especially at Barça, we place a lot more importance on ball control, accurate passes to teammates, we try to create chances.” 

Guardiola praises 'awesome' Barcelona

FC Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola admitted it is hard to stay at the top but heaped praise on his players after they beat AC Milan to reach the semi-finals for a fifth straight season

Josep Guardiola, Barcelona coach
We were facing a team that has won seven European Cups, a side with very good players. We had 21 shots on goal against an Italian team, they had three. Having said that, if people came here tonight expecting Milan not to cross the halfway line and for us to win by a big margin, that was never going to happen. Milan have huge experience and pose a big threat. 

The season is so long, you have different spells. I don't think we're favourites [to win the trophy] – Bayern are there, Madrid [will be] there. We have won the Champions League twice in three years and have now reached five semi-finals in a row.The most difficult thing in the world is to continue because you can win anything once but to do it again is very, very tough. These players are awesome.

We have reached five semi-finals because of the effort everybody has put in and the players are happy to do their talking on the pitch. We always try to be at the highest level we can and we know we will have to reach the highest level if we want to go all the way to the final in Munich.

We are more than satisfied with the season so far and with the effort everyone has put in. We've won three trophies, are into the final of the Copa del Rey, involved in a difficult fight for the Liga, and have reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Massimiliano Allegri, Milan coach
We're disappointed because the second penalty came a few minutes before half-time, when Barcelona weren't doing much after our goal. It's a pity because the first penalty was a gift – you can't afford to do that against a team like Barcelona.

After we equalised we honestly thought we could go through because Barcelona were under a bit of pressure and weren't managing to play their football. Barcelona played their fluent football only after their third goal, which was quite lucky because a deflection changed a Messi shot into an assist for Iniesta.

You have to play perfectly to win here and we made some mistakes both defensively and in missing some important final passes when we had space in attack. In both games we had a lot of chances to create opportunities to score but weren't precise [enough] with our passes.

After their third goal it wasn't easy to react. We were all disappointed during the break after conceding late in the first half, and when we came back we soon conceded another.

Messi hails Barça's consummate display

Lionel Messi spoke to UEFA.com after yet another record-breaking night and praised FC Barcelona's ability "to take advantage of our strengths" in order to see off AC Milan.

Relief and pride were the main emotions circling the Camp Nou after FC Barcelona eliminated a stubborn AC Milan side to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Getting to the last four of the competition for the fifth consecutive season was reason enough for celebration. However, the fact that, inspired by another fine display from Lionel Messi, they played close to their maximum to beat the Italian champions meant there was a relieved intake of breath by the time UEFA.com spoke to Josep Guardiola's players.

Forward Messi explained: "We knew, quite clearly, this was going to be a tough game but what was vital was that we also knew how to take advantage of our strengths and because of that we won and are through.

"Milan have great footballers and they are demonstrating their quality in the Italian championship and this Champions League. Like the first leg this was a hard contest but we did well and won through."

Barcelona ran out 3-1 victors – courtesy of two Messi penalties and a deft third from Andrés Iniesta – after a performance of intensity and confidence which had the Camp Nou roaring its appreciation. Antonio Nocerino's clever equaliser had tested the nerve of the hosts, but with man of the match Messi again on sparkling form Barça held out – even after Gerard Piqué limped off in the second half.

Daniel Alves, whose strong showing drew particular praise from his coach, said: "It was a really intense and fascinating game to play in. We gave everything to achieve our objectives and we produced some great stuff and many chances. No way would it have been a surprise if we had won by another couple of goals."

The Brazilian international full-back added: "When you think about being in the semi-finals after a game like that, there is a sense of relief at having eliminated a difficult, historic rival like Milan."

Messi notched his 50th goal in the UEFA Champions League, then went on to add his 14th of this European campaign with his second penalty – and third in two matches. He said that converting two spot kicks in a single game has its difficulties.

"I tried to hold off on the second penalty until the keeper committed himself but that was tricky because he [Christian Abbiati] is huge," he said. "He waited for me and I knew he could get to either side of the goal by diving full length – as he did when he got a touch to the first one. But all I care about the two goals was that they went in and I helped the team achieve our target."

The final word went to a thrilled Thiago Alcántara, the 20-year-old midfielder having been introduced as a second-half substitute. "It wasn't just a pleasure for the fans to watch this game, it was great to play in too," he said. "It was the meeting of two historic, almost mythical clubs so of course it was a lovely night to be part of. The feeling of eliminating them and reaching the semi-final is one of absolute delight and pride. It's the best."

Spain and Barça's Xavi answers your questions

Thousands of questions came in on Twitter for FC Barcelona's Xavi Hernández, who shares his views on the world's greatest ever player and reveals Spain's secret to success.

UEFA.com gave users the chance to Tweet their questions for FC Barcelona's Spanish international Xavi Hernández and the response was remarkable: #AskXavi was trending No1 worldwide on Twitter as thousands of questions came pouring in.

Widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in Europe, Xavi answered users' questions, revealing who he thinks is the best player of all time, the reason behind Spain's success and what the future holds for club-mate Thiago Alcántara. Watch the video above to see the full question and answer session.

Fàbregas jubilant on London return....!!!

Back in London for the first time since leaving Arsenal FC, Cesc Fàbregas said his move to FC Barcelona has worked out "better than I expected" as he looked ahead to facing Chelsea FC.

Preparing for a semi-final against Chelsea FC in the city he called home until last summer, Cesc Fàbregas says his return to boyhood team FC Barcelona has far exceeded his expectations.

When he finally bid farewell to Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal FC in August to rejoin the club he left as a 16-year-old in 2003, talked turned to how the midfielder would break into a side which had just completed the UEFA Champions League and Liga double.

Any concerns were quickly dispelled – the 24-year-old slotted seamlessly back into life at the Camp Nou with a flurry of early-season goals, form which has taken the man himself by surprise. "It has been much better than I expected," said Fàbregas. "I have played more than I thought I would.

"I came here to learn and get better, both as a player and person, and to experience weeks like this, when we will play Chelsea in the semi-final and Real Madrid in the league. It's the most important week of the season."

Captain of a youthful team for his final three years in north London, Fàbregas feels he has taken his game to another level in Catalonia. "I’ve learned a lot, especially tactically," he said. "At Arsenal I was free to do whatever I wanted and tactically I wasn't good at all.

"Here I have to work much more for the team and be married to my position – I can't just go wherever I want to. I have to think tactically, and that's the thing I feel I have improved on. I feel more mature as a player."

While this semi-final is a fixture steeped in recent European Cup tradition – the clubs have met ten times since 2000, most famously at this stage three years ago – Fàbregas has plenty of Chelsea-related accounts of his own to tell after facing the Blues in 16 London derbies during his time with the Gunners.

"I've had interesting games against Chelsea and now I expect to have the same with Barcelona," he said. "Even though we tried to keep possession with Arsenal it was quite difficult to play them because they can create on the break and [Didier] Drogba can score. You have to be careful about the counterattacks they can create."

Fàbregas, unlike many of his team-mates, has yet to go all the way in Europe's premier club competition. The Spanish international was part of the Arsenal side which lost to the Azulgrana in the 2006 showpiece in Paris and three years later came unstuck against Manchester United FC in the semi-final.

It is something he is desperate to put right. "This is the competition we all want to win," he added. "I was close a few years ago and it didn't happen, so to win it in my first year with Barcelona would be a dream."

Bayern meet Madrid, Chelsea play Barcelona

UEFA.com has the head-to-head records ahead of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals as final hosts FC Bayern München face Real Madrid CF and holders FC Barcelona play Chelsea FC.

Two classic European ties are in prospect after the UEFA Champions League semi-final programme was set.

FC Bayern München will stage the final on 19 May but to get there the four-time competition winners must beat the only side to have claimed nine European titles, Real Madrid CF. José Mourinho's team overcame APOEL FC 5-2 on Wednesday to go through 8-2 on aggregate.

The first leg is at the Fußball Arena München on Tuesday 17 April, with the Santiago Bernabéu return eight days later. Among these clubs' many meetings are consecutive semi-finals in 1999/2000 and 2000/01, with Madrid winning the first and Bayern the second, both eventually lifting the trophy. Bayern also knocked out Madrid in the last four in 1976 and 1987.

Holders FC Barcelona defeated AC Milan to reach the semi-finals and now take on Chelsea FC, 2-1 victors over SL Benfica on Wednesday to add to their 1-0 away success. They played at this stage in 2009 when Barcelona advanced on away goals, drawing 1-1 in London after a 0-0 Camp Nou stalemate, and picked up the third of their four European Cups.

The first leg is at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 18 April before the conclusion in Catalonia six days later.

Messi sets new mark as Barcelona see off Milan

Lionel Messi converted two first-half penalties to set a new UEFA Champions League scoring record for a season as the holders eased into the last four.

FC Barcelona produced a performance full of power and intelligence to defeat AC Milan and progress to the semi-finals for the fifth successive season.

Two penalties from Lionel Messi, the first his 50th goal in this competition which set a new scoring mark for a UEFA Champions League season, had Barcelona in front at half-time despite a first-class equaliser from Antonio Nocerino. Andrés Iniesta extended the hosts' advantage early in the second period and the holders held on in some comfort, only Gerard Piqué limping off in the second half souring their night.

Messi's first goal, his 13th of this season's competition, came from the spot in the 11th minute but its creation was down to his intelligence and work rate. Philippe Mexès dallied in possession and Messi raced to rob him, bursting forward before unselfishly cutting the ball back. The Milan defence scrambled to recover but as Messi and Luca Antonini contested the loose ball the Italian brought down his opponent, who picked himself up to beat Christian Abbiati with the spot kick.

That goal surpassed the previous 12-goal best for a UEFA Champions League season, set by Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002/03 and equalled by Messi himself last season, although it might have arrived even earlier. Six minutes in Daniel Alves sent in a low cross, Cesc Fàbregas produced a sweet flick but Messi unusually steered his point-blank shot wide with his right foot.

Milan were being caught in possession, the ultimate sin at the Camp Nou, but while Abbiati continued to save at the end of a flood of Barça moves there was hope. On 32 minutes hope turned into tangible reward; contrary to Piqué's regular warnings, Zlatan Ibrahimović was allowed to bring the ball down and turn. The Sweden striker slid a sublime pass into the overlapping Nocerino, who slotted in a low shot without breaking stride.

The statistic that Milan have won six out of the eight ties in which they drew the first leg 0-0 at home suddenly seemed worryingly relevant for Barça. What did not change was the sparkle of their football, Abbiati turning a fierce Fàbregas shot behind after a slick one-two with Xavi.

The twist came four minutes before half-time; as Xavi's corner curled in, Nesta tugged Sergio Busquets to the ground to give Barcelona a second penalty. Messi changed the direction of his effort but found the net just as effectively.

Even though Barcelona continued to make subtle mistakes which denied them a definitive advantage, the second half was only eight minutes old when they breached Milan's defence again to effectively settle the tie. Messi's deflected shot looped kindly into the path of Iniesta, who controlled with his left foot and beat Abbiati with his right to put Barça in charge.

Josep Guardiola's team used all their savvy and skill to control the remainder of the match and even in the late stages Adriano was clean through but dragged a shot wide. Perhaps the semi-final, against Chelsea FC or SL Benfica, will demand more clinical work.

Barça's Puyol vows to take game to Milan

"We only know one way to play: attack and win the game", said Carles Puyol, as FC Barcelona's captain weighed up the UEFA Champions League quarter-final decider against AC Milan.

Carles Puyol oozed confidence as he looked forward to FC Barcelona's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against AC Milan on Tuesday. "We only know one way to play," he said. "Attack and win the game."

This veteran of 107 UEFA Champions League fixtures has played in, and won, all three of the competition finals that Barcelona have contested over the last seven years, which perhaps explains why the seasoned defender is viewing Tuesday's visit of the Rossoneri as another final. "It is a final and we can only win," the 33-year-old told a packed press conference at Camp Nou. "No draws, no 0-0s, just victory. Camp Nou will be full and will be behind the team. The fans are always by our side and tomorrow will be no exception."

Milan are well known to the Barça captain, this being the fourth time the two sides have met this season, but Puyol sees their familiarity as neither a positive nor a negative. It is simply another high-profile challenge that he will savour. "I don't think it's good or bad to have faced them so often. They are one of the great teams in Europe, it's a match everyone wants to play. We have to be very good in our defending and in attack if we want to qualify."

After last week's San Siro stalemate, any goal will be cherished by either side, but Puyol, who came close to breaking the deadlock in Milan with a glancing header in the second half, knows that a scoring draw will be fatal for the defending European champions. "Our intention is to score first but we know that with a 1-0 you can also suffer so we have to create as many chances as possible."

One player who knows all about hitting the net is Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, Serie A's leading marksman with 22 goals. After missing out on Milan's previous visit to Barcelona with an ankle injury the Sweden international is set to make his first return to the club he left after a season's service almost two years ago.

"Zlatan is one of the best strikers in the world and difficult to defend against," added Puyol. "He's technically very good and we want him away from the box. It's not just a job for me, though; the whole team need to keep him under control. But many players make the difference for Milan – Ibra, Pato, Robinho, they can all decide a match at any time so we have to be very focused. Not just me, but the whole team."

The central defender is just one game away from making his 550th appearance in official competitions for Barcelona, and should he face Massimiliano Allegri's charges he will replace Miguel Bernardo Bianquetti as the player with the second most appearances for the Catalan side

"It's an honour for me to be in the position to be able to surpass Migueli's record. I hope to play many more games but I don't think I will be able to catch up with Xavi, because that's impossible." Barcelona's playmaker may be absent against Milan after missing training on Monday but even so, Xavi's 618 appearance total leaves Puyol some way short. Yet you suspect playing second fiddle to Xavi is unlikely to trouble a man who is a culé – the popular term for Barcelona fan – to the core.

Piqué wary of Milan and on-song Ibrahimović !!!

Gerard Piqué says FC Barcelona need no introduction to the threat posed by AC Milan, and Zlatan Ibrahimović in particular, as the holders prepare to grace the San Siro once again.

Gerard Piqué says renewed talk of a May treble for FC Barcelona is premature, especially on the eve of a meeting with Zlatan Ibrahimović and an AC Milan side he regards as one of Europe's top three.

The holders head to San Siro on Wednesday for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League tie confident of a repeat of the group stage triumph they managed four months ago, if not the 3-2 scoreline. Confident but not complacent. "It's better to know your opponents, but they know us too," Piqué warned. "We studied Milan and we'll continue to do so until kick-off. We need to figure out how to attack them."

They did not struggle to score against the Rossoneri in the autumn, having opened their trophy defence with a 2-2 draw in September. The question, though, is how to attack with caution, without being so susceptible at the back. Piqué, who did not feature in either group game, has a fair idea where to start: "It's always difficult to stop a striker of Zlatan Ibrahimović's quality. We have to be really focused; we can't give him any space. He's having a great season, scoring in every possible situation."

Indeed, the Sweden striker took his tally to 29 goals this season in all competitions for Milan with a pair in Saturday's 2-1 victory against AS Roma. Not that Piqué needs further proof of his talents having played alongside Ibrahimović at Camp Nou in 2009/10. "It was a pleasure to play with him. He's a great player and he helped Barcelona win trophies. We'll do everything to stop him, though. He's very dangerous, but we have the quality to defend against him."

Piqué was also on target at the weekend in a 2-0 win at RCD Mallorca, a timely personal fillip in what has been a stop-start campaign. "It has been a difficult season for me due to injuries," admitted the Spanish international. "The goal against Mallorca was important for me, as was my performance. We are going through a good spell even if it is too soon to talk of the treble [of UEFA Champions League, Liga and Copa del Rey] – we will take each game as it comes. First up is Milan, one of the top three teams in Europe. It will be a challenge, but we will do everything to get through."

Andres Iniesta: Barcelona will fight until the end

The Spanish playmaker has refused to throw in the towel despite the 10-point gap to Madrid, while stating that the victory over Valencia was a considerable boost to his side

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has insisted that his side are still in the race for the Primera Division title.

The Catalan club are 10 points behind Real Madrid in the Liga standings after slipping considerably off the pace in recent weeks, with two draws and one defeat since the start of the calendar year. 

With Barca due to host los Blancos in April, Iniesta remains hopeful that his side will be able to regain top spot if Madrid drop points.

"We will fight until the end," Iniesta told reporters. "This is our only goal: to compete and collect three points every week to be ready in case of a Madrid slip-up.

"The truth is that we have dropped many points on the road and that is seen in the table.

"To win the Liga, you have to be consistent at home and on the road, and this has been hard for us."

Barca head into Sunday's game at Atletico Madrid on the back of a 5-1 victory over Valencia and Iniesta expressed his delight with the team's display against los Che.

"We played a very complete match against Valencia and the result should give us a significant boost," Iniesta said.

"Now we will visit Atletico and we know this will be a hard match because they are a good team and they have been growing after the arrival of Diego Simeone, but we hope we can continue collecting points."

Since November, Goal.com has been publishing exclusive extracts from Graham Hunter's highly-anticipated new book, 'Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World'. The very last extract looks at Andres Iniesta's risky return from injury in the 2009 Champions League Final and how he was described by Wayne Rooney as the 'best midfielder in the world'. Don't miss it!

True captain Carles Puyol

Full name	Carles Puyol i Saforcada
Nationality	Spanish
Date of birth	April 13, 1978
Place of birth	La Pobla de Segur, Spain
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Nickname	Tiburón
Position	Centre Back
Number	5

Carles Puyol i Saforcada (born April 13, 1978 in La Pobla de Segur, Catalonia, Spain) is a Spanish/Catalan footballer who is the current team captain of FC Barcelona. He is a regular in the Spanish national team.

Puyol played for Spain at the 2000 Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup; Puyol has been capped over 60 times. He has also played for the unofficial Catalonia national football team in one friendly.

He went to FC Barcelona B at age 17 in 1996 and in 1999 Coach Louis van Gaal put him into the first team and his debut came on October 2, 1999 against Valladolid, a game FC Barcelona won 0-2. He started as a regular for Barcelona in the right back position but has since converted to center-back.

He was first chosen as the captain for Barcelona in the 2003-04 season. Puyol has also been called upon to captain the Spanish national team.

May 17, 2006: Barcelona, with Puyol as captain, won the UEFA Champions League, defeating Arsenal FC 2-1 in the final and became the first Catalan captain to raise the UEFA Champions League Trophy.

He was awarded "Best Right-Back in Europe" by UEFA in 2002. He is currently under contract with Barcelona FC till June 30, 2010.

Puyol was awarded the title of UEFA Champions League Defender of the Year 2005-06 on Thursday 24th August 2006.

Puyol is a tough, aggressive defender who has the versatility to play both as a full-back and in the centre. His holistic approach makes him a favourite at his club side, Barcelona. Puyol is a vital member of Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard's team, and his tactical ability and know-how also means he is not a man to pick up many yellow cards or, indeed, injuries, both of which factors have meant that he is an ever present in both Europe and domestic competition. His attacking mentality is a result of him playing as a striker in the early years in his boyhood club La Pobla de Segur, after injury problems with his shoulders forced him from his original position of goalkeeper. His energy and athleticism is vital in defense, for the high backline, attacking style that Barca plays

Probably the best midfielder in the world

Xavier Hernández Creus and (b. January 25, 1980, Terrassa, Catalonia, Spain), also known as Xavi is a Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder at the club Barcelona and the Spanish national is selected. He won the 2008 European Football Championship, 2010 World Cup, La Liga with Barcelona 5 times and was nominated for the FIFA Golden Ball 2010, where his competitors were even his Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta. (Source: wikipedia). Was told not to play Barcelona on Spain's national team and would not be the same without the guidance of Xavi. An outstanding personality in the game is almost all action Xavi and his team beat all records on the number of passes, accurate passes and number of passes away. It is said that when he was promoted to first team Guardioala knew immediately that Xavi will be next to Barcelona's midfield.Even I would have said Xavi: "I will be who will kick the team". Enjoy as Xavi is in activity. Unfortunately, he reached 31 years and is approaching the end of his career.