No, Real Madrid are preparing no anti-Lionel Messi plan as they look forward to defeating Barcelona in El Clasico on Monday. That is, according to Real Madrid’s Alvaro Arbeloa, nothing but the truth.
In fact, the last time Jose Mourinho met Lionel Messi, it didn’t seem as if the Portuguese had a special game plan against the Argentine superstar. On the contrary, it was the entire Barcelona team that suffered from the tactics of the then-Inter Milan coach.
So Mourinho might be wrong to listen to the calls of anxious Real Madrid supporters who believe that stopping Lionel Messi’s flow will disrupt Barcelona’s game in favor of Los Blancos. As defender Alvaro Arbeloa confirmed during a press conference on Thursday, Madrid will deal against Messi and Barca differently to what such fans want.
“We’ve got no anti-Messi or anti-missile plans. I would even prefer that none of their 18 men played,” Arbeloa stated as he laughed.
“Barcelona are a great team. Messi, Xavi, Pedro… they were all phenomenal the other day. In fact, Barcelona are enormously competitive as a team. They’ve got quality players who can make the difference.”
But Alvaro Arbeloa doesn’t regret the fact that Pep Guardiola will have a full and fit first-choice squad on the pitch come Monday. Although the Real Madrid defender had previously joked about having no Barcelona player on the field in El Clasico as a preference, he made this clear:
“Seriously, I want all of Barcelona’s best players to feature in El Clasico. I’m sure that we can defeat the best Barcelona team.”
The confidence of Real Madrid’s players seems to be high. Will it be materialized into success when they’ll face Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Monday?
So Mourinho might be wrong to listen to the calls of anxious Real Madrid supporters who believe that stopping Lionel Messi’s flow will disrupt Barcelona’s game in favor of Los Blancos. As defender Alvaro Arbeloa confirmed during a press conference on Thursday, Madrid will deal against Messi and Barca differently to what such fans want.
“We’ve got no anti-Messi or anti-missile plans. I would even prefer that none of their 18 men played,” Arbeloa stated as he laughed.
“Barcelona are a great team. Messi, Xavi, Pedro… they were all phenomenal the other day. In fact, Barcelona are enormously competitive as a team. They’ve got quality players who can make the difference.”
But Alvaro Arbeloa doesn’t regret the fact that Pep Guardiola will have a full and fit first-choice squad on the pitch come Monday. Although the Real Madrid defender had previously joked about having no Barcelona player on the field in El Clasico as a preference, he made this clear:
“Seriously, I want all of Barcelona’s best players to feature in El Clasico. I’m sure that we can defeat the best Barcelona team.”
The confidence of Real Madrid’s players seems to be high. Will it be materialized into success when they’ll face Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Monday?
