Rijkaard defends Messi
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard has jumped to the defence of Lionel Messi.
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard has jumped to the defence of Lionel Messi after he was accused of play-acting.Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho hit out at the Argentine starlet for his role in the sending off of Asier Del Horno.
Rijkaard moved to support his players and insists Messi did not try to con the referee.
"I see fouls on Messi all the time and he is not a player to overreact," said Rijkaard.
"I prefer not to go into things said by other people. Every manager has a right to say what he thinks about any situation. I prefer to do my job."
Rijkaard was delighted with the way his side came back from a goal down to earn a 2-1 first leg advantage to Camp Nou and he is determined to finish the job off in Spain.
"It was an important result for us in a special game," added Rijkaard. "We showed a lot of maturity.
"It was not our best performance but the main thing was that we concentrated well against difficult opponents.
"We will take the game in the Nou Camp very seriously.
"We intend to finish the job there but it will still be difficult. We won't rest on our laurels."
