UEFA.com works better on other browsers
For the best possible experience, we recommend using Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Martino, Barcelona promise no let-up in Group H

Having qualified with a victory, FC Barcelona's Gerardo Martino turned his focus to winning Group H while Massimiliano Allegri said AC Milan's display "was not bad".

Martino, Barcelona promise no let-up in Group H
Martino, Barcelona promise no let-up in Group H ©UEFA.com

Gerardo Martino, Barcelona coach
Qualifying on matchday four means the pressure is off, but we still have an obligation to finish first in the group. Making negative assertions about Leo [Messi] has risks. He played phenomenally well today. Because there are no real surprises in the groups you can assume that the favourites will get through, but you never know who you will draw in the next round. We wanted to get out of the group early in order to feel better. We allowed our opponents to get back into the game [before half-time], however, and that worries me. 

Massimiliano Allegri, Milan coach
Mario Balotelli suffered an injury not so long ago and his recent performances have not been great, so I preferred to start with the duo [Kaká and Robinho] who did very well in Milan against Barcelona. Still, Balotelli played well when he came on for the second half, creating a couple of good opportunities. Mario has extraordinary qualities, but he has to return to his very best both physically and mentally. I decided to start with him on the bench for his and the team's good.

I'm disappointed with the result, but the performance was not bad. In the first half we were unable to launch a counterattack when we had the chance to do so, mainly because we missed too many passes, but in the second half we played better. I'm sure we will be more balanced and will get better results when we recover important players like Stephan El Shaarawy and Mattia De Sciglio from injury.

Selected for you