[ad_1]
The Argentine thought that the Liverpool midfielder was ready to avenge himself for qualifying as a strong point in 2015, but the Reds man has no will
Liverpool midfielder, James Milner, said Lionel Messi had treated him as an ass in the first leg of his Champions League semifinal for a brutal tackle that had put the Barcelona star in the field.
Late in the first half of that first leg at Camp Nou, Messi came into contact with Andy Robertson along the sideline. Unbalanced, Milner arrived late with a shoulder barge on Barca's talisman, sending Messi to the ground.
Irritated by late contact, Messi called for the distribution of a yellow card, but Milner escaped a warning on that occasion.
The article continues below
After being embarrassed by a Messi nutmeg in 2015 when he was a member of Manchester City, the Argentine felt that it was an attempt at recovery.
"He was not happy," said Milner, who is learning Spanish. Daily mail. "He gave me a lot of Spanish by going down the tunnel at half-time as well. He called me "burro".
"This translates to donkey, but I think in Spanish football it is also used as a generic term for someone who kicks people.
"I asked him if he was fine, but he did not have it. I do not think he realized that I understood his spanish.
He said, "This fault you made was because I crushed you." I left him there at that time and went to the locker room.
"Listen, I have only admiration for him. He has earned the right to say what he wants. "
Milner admitted that given Messi's skills, this level of physics was needed to help him get out of the deal.
However, the midfielder also said that he was staying within limits – his intention was never to hurt Messi.
"What he's done in this game, what he's done his whole career, makes it difficult to face," added Milner. "If you try to stop it, you can not be afraid of being ridiculous. I did it.
"He had coconut and was watched a million times. I was not the first and I will not be the last. This is an amazing player.
"But with players like that, you have to let them know you are there and not let them do everything in their own way. You just have to try to disrupt their rhythm.
"You do not want to hurt him, but it's a physical game and, if he throws it, you try to knock him off his stride." It's part of the game, the mental side. "
Although these efforts were not rewarded in the first leg, which saw a 3-0 win at Barca, a strong comeback at Anfield saw Liverpool win against the 4-0 winners to qualify for the final.
And Milner, moved to the final whistle, thinks that the quality of the opposition, combined with the absence of injury from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, made it a memorable night.
"Messi is a fantastic player and the particularity of the evening was to play against a team like this, with the best player in the world here, as well as Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique," said Milner. "There are not many teams in the world that could fill such a gap if two of your star players are gone. It was such a team effort. "
[ad_2]
Source link