Barcelona: "It's normal to feel a little nervous" says Setién
Quique Setién says Barcelona had the game against Napoli under control but admitted Friday's quarter final against Bayern Munich is going to be difficult.
Barcelona coach Quique Setién said his team had Saturday's Champions League Last 16 second leg against Napoli under perfect control but admitted there were some nerves on the touchline. Goals from Clement Lenglet, Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez secured a 3-1 win for Barça at Camp Nou on Saturday and a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Barça were 3-0 up and had another goal through Messi disallowed for handball in the first half, and although Lorenzo Insigne's penalty shortly before the interval gave Napoli some hope, they could not find a way back into the contest against a resilient Barça side.
The Catalans have endured nightmarish second-leg defeats to Liverpool and Roma in the past two seasons, so Setién was particularly pleased with the manner of their performance when under pressure from Napoli, even if he could not always keep his anxiety in check.
Napoli, not an easy team to beat - Setién
"It was what we were looking for, to take the first step and to wait for the rest of the games with the same excitement with which we faced this one," he told Movistar. "We were very good and we deserved the victory. It's true they had us compromised in the opening minutes. Napoli are a really good team - it's not easy to do what we've done. They're one of the best teams in Italy. We controlled it perfectly, we had a really good first half and in the second they were more in charge but they still didn't put us in much danger. A second goal would have given them a boost that could have threatened us. It's normal to be a little bit nervous, of course."
Messi took a nasty kick to his calf in winning a penalty against Kalidou Koulibaly, but Setién is confident he will be fit to face Bayern Munich, who destroyed Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate, in next week's quarter-final. "He took a strong hit, but he looks okay. It'll need treatment but I don't think it'll be a problem," he said of Messi. "It'll be a really tough game. They have gone through a tie with a six-goal margin. They are an amazing team and it'll be a great game."