Manchester City winger Jesus Navas believes that his side
can beat Barcelona in their upcoming Champions League tie by disrupting their
playing style.
The Sky Blues are set to face the Spanish giants this
week in the first leg of their last 16 clash, in a game that many regard them
as the underdogs.
Barca have long been hailed as Europe’s finest club side,
with their unique passing style the envy of teams across the world.
Navas used to play regularly against them in La Liga
during his time at Sevilla, and feels that if City can harass their opponents
and disrupt their rhythm that a win is possible:
“It’s always difficult to face Barcelona, they always
have top-quality players. I remember playing them so many times when I was at
Seville,” he is quoted by The Mirror.
“We knocked them out of the Copa del Rey once, so that’s
my main memory, and I scored a header against them at home when we drew 1-1. We
must have beaten them three times at least.
“The one thing we must do is play with high pressure and
a high tempo. We have to challenge them for the possession of the ball. They
are at their best when they have the ball. Without it, they cannot hurt you.
“We have to put pressure on them, maintain the
concentration at all times and take the chances. Even the best teams have their
weaknesses and Barcelona struggle at set-pieces and counter-attacks, when they
lose the ball in attacking positions.”
City are present on the knockout phase of the Champions
league for the first time in their history after advancing from a tough group
alongside Bayern Munich.
The Etihad Stadium side failed to break through the
initial phase of the tournament twice in the last two years under the guidance
of Roberto Mancini.
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