Xabi Alonso: "We are going to try and put the brakes on Lionel Messi"
Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso recognised in the pre-game press conference for his side's Champions League semi-final against Barcelona that the German champions will do all they can to slow down Lionel Messi.
"Messi is a great player and it is not easy to stop him," the former Real Madrid player said. "We will try to do it. You can say you are going to stop him, but it is difficult to actually do it. We are going to try and put the brakes on Messi."
With regards to his relationship with Pep Guardiola, Alonso indicated that "with Guardiola before I had the same relationship that I had with other managers. A respect towards him, but when I signed for Bayern it changed. "We work together, we know each other better and we are working for the same objectives."
As for the difference between Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, Alonso said: "They are two different personalities. I've had the luck to work with them both. They're both references, each one with their own style, their own form of communicating. For me it's a privilege to have played for both."
Xabi Alonso also explained that the tie between Barça and Bayern will be "a different story" to the last time the two sides met in 2013. "We want to be in the final and we're focused on achieving that on the pitch. There is no extra motivation, just what we have been working for all season. It's cost us to get here and we can't repeat the errors we made against Porto."
