28.09.2010 13:40
Vilanova: “It is important for Leo to recover properly”
Marc Guillén / Anna Segura
Tito Vilanova knows Leo Messi well, and knows the striker would play of he could. But the Barça assistant manager advises caution, because if things are rushed, there is a risk of long term injury.
Messi was in the party of 19 that travelled to Kazan on Monday, even though he has not been given
medical clearance. Josep Guardiola’s assistant spoke about the situation from the Tartar
city, saying “Leo always wants to play and this injury is progressing well each day”.
100% fitness
Before heading to Kazan, Messi trained with the squad for first time
since getting injured. Said Vilanova, “we are watching to see how he feels … it is
important for him to recover well, with injuries like this, sometimes if you don’t recover
properly, there can be long term problems”. So, for him, Messi’s fitness a more
important issue tan Wednesday’s result against Kazan. “It is important but not that
much, it’s only the second game in the group” he said.
We know them better
As for Rubin Kazan, Vilanova said that in preparing the match “we have looked back at
the games they played against us … they have the same manager as last year”. Rubin
stunned Barça last time with a win at the Camp Nou and “they played in a way that
didn’t make it at all easy for us.” But on Wednesday, he feels they will have the
advantage of knowing more about the side they are facing.