Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard admitted they were fortunate to survive against AC Milan in last night's Champions League semifinal.
A 0-0 draw was enough for Barca to reach the Paris final and Rijkaard admitted they had to sit back and defend in order to get past a "fantastic" Milan side.
"I honestly believe this approach was necessary, as we were facing a fantastic team like Milan. It is a great result for us to go through," said the Dutchman.
"We are used to playing Edmilson as a defensive midfielder. It seemed logical that he often had to fold back even more on Kaka, but he also pushed forward when needed, so it wasn't a pure man-marking job. The important thing was to defend well, as with these strikers you don't need to work too hard on the attacking aspect."
Rijkaard was Carlo Ancelotti's teammate at Milan in the late 1980s and admits he has picked up some elements from Arrigo Sacchi's teachings.
"Clearly I always prefer to play attacking football, but we mustn't forget that there are moments against a great side when you have to slow the tempo and try to take back control."
A 0-0 draw was enough for Barca to reach the Paris final and Rijkaard admitted they had to sit back and defend in order to get past a "fantastic" Milan side.
"I honestly believe this approach was necessary, as we were facing a fantastic team like Milan. It is a great result for us to go through," said the Dutchman.
"We are used to playing Edmilson as a defensive midfielder. It seemed logical that he often had to fold back even more on Kaka, but he also pushed forward when needed, so it wasn't a pure man-marking job. The important thing was to defend well, as with these strikers you don't need to work too hard on the attacking aspect."
Rijkaard was Carlo Ancelotti's teammate at Milan in the late 1980s and admits he has picked up some elements from Arrigo Sacchi's teachings.
"Clearly I always prefer to play attacking football, but we mustn't forget that there are moments against a great side when you have to slow the tempo and try to take back control."
