UEFA Champions League news: Manchester United advised not to fall into "Messi trap" as Barcelona clash looms
What's the story?
Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown has advised his former club to avoid falling into the trap of Barcelona captain Lionel Messi during their upcoming Champions League quarter-final clash this month.
In case you didn't know...
Manchester United are set to host Barcelona at Old Trafford for the first leg of the fixture this coming week.
Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Red Devils have transitioned into a more capable team compared to the one under former boss Jose Mourinho. The Norwegian boss has impressed the United faithful with a series of league wins and even more so with the club's phenomenal comeback against Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Round of 16 fixture.
Meanwhile, Barcelona is on their way to secure yet another La Liga title, led by Messi, who has been in spectacular form despite an injury this season.
The 31-year-old has 33 league goals to his name and 43 in all competitions, making him an intense favourite to win the European Golden Shoe.
The heart of the matter
Brown, who has faced Messi in the 2008 Champions League semi-finals, has told his former club how they can avoid falling into what he calls a trap by Messi.
Speaking to United's official website, he said, "You do realise, watching Messi, that one thing you can’t do is dive in. His ball control is unbelievable. A joke."
"Listen, with players like that, you’re not going to stop them being them, you just have to limit them and try to get them to focus on something else. Frustrate them. You have to."
The Premier League winner added that Messi does not want anybody to know what he's thinking, which is why he is not emotional on the pitch. "Out on the pitch, Messi doesn’t show any emotion. I’m probably quite like him in that sense. I don’t want anyone to know what I’m thinking in my head."
"So, because that’s what I do, I’m pretty sure that’s how he is inside as well. Emotional inside. Focused. He wants to prove to everyone that he’s the best. Just because he’s not showing it doesn’t mean he’s not thinking it on the inside."
Brown added, "People might say: ‘just send him down the right. Ok, send him down the right.' It doesn’t matter because his start speed is unbelievable with the ball."
"As soon as you dive in or you’re not quite there, he’s gone past you but he’s still got control of the ball. He’s cut in and he’s gone."
"The way he runs, his angles, he can run at speed, change direction at speed, little turns. He’s the best at it."
"As much as you’ve got a voice in your head saying ‘don’t dive in,’ you’ve got another voice saying: ‘you can have that.’ You can’t. It's a trap. So you have to listen to that first voice and just stay on your feet."
What's next?
You can catch the monumental clash between the two clubs on April 10.