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Chelsea fans' racism victim speaks out: It left me really afraid
By Tom Beck
Feb 20, 2015 23:06:00
Paris-born Souleymane now feels scared to use public transport after he was racially abused by a group of Blues fans before their Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain
The man racially abused by Chelsea fans on the Paris Metro has revealed he has been left "really afraid" by the incident.
Thirty-three-year-old Souleymane was filmed being pushed off a train by a group of Blues supporters shouting racist chants before the Blues' Champions League last-16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
The father of three has now filed a legal complaint over the issue and insists that those responsible should be brought to justice.
"What happened has left me really afraid," he told The Guardian.
"I tried to board the train and suddenly there were two people who pushed me off. I didn't understand. I thought, this isn't normal. Normally that would just never happen. They were shouting and making racist comments, which I don't accept and I didn't understand why.
"Frankly, I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. I was a French citizen who had left his office and wanted to get home and foreigners were stopping me getting on a train to get home. This is 2015. This talk of black skin or white skin, that's something I don't like, and I didn't know why [it was happening]."
Chelsea have strongly condemned those responsible and moved to bar them from future games, while manager Jose Mourinho said on Friday that he was "ashamed" by their behaviour.
Manchester City clash the most important game of the year, says Pique
By Joe Wright
Feb 21, 2015 22:33:14
The Barcelona defender says his side cannot afford to dwell on their shock defeat to Malaga as they prepare to face the Premier League champions
Gerard Pique has urged his Barcelona team-mates to turn their attention quickly to their Champions League clash with Manchester City.
The Catalans' recent superb run of from was brought to a shock end by Malaga on Saturday as they secured a 1-0 win at Camp Nou.
Barca now turn their attentions to a first leg with Manchester City in Europe's top competition in the coming week and Pique is eager for his team-mates to focus quickly on the trip to the Etihad.
"It was one of those where we just couldn't find the goal. But we have to turn the page because, on Tuesday, we play the most important game of the year," he told reporters after the match.
"The team are on track and we can't let this defeat get us down. All teams will lose points. We have to look at how we can get ahead."
City destroyed Newcastle on Saturday with a 5-0 win but, rather than fear the English champions' attack, Pique feels more attack-minded opponents could be to their advantage.
"City are a more attacking team and that can benefit us," he added.
We can reach Champions League, but let's not talk about it - Koeman
By Tom Beck
Feb 22, 2015 09:38:00
The south-coast club are enjoying their finest Premier League campaign ever but the Saints boss demands focus solely on the games in hand as Liverpool visit on Sunday
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman believes his side can qualify for the Champions League next season, but wants his players to stop talking about it.
The Saints would leapfrog Manchester United and return to the top four if they draw with Liverpool at St Mary's on Sunday, who currently sit four points behind them in seventh.
With 13 matches still remaining in the Premier League, the Dutchman is keen to avoid getting distracted by the growing possibility of a remarkable achievement.
"I know the players around myself and the club are talking about the position in the table and about the possibility of being one of the top four teams," he told reporters. "But it's too early to think about that.
"We must keep focusing on doing what we have done so far. Maybe then - with four or five games of the season remaining - the situation will be much clearer.
"I think the Champions League is a good possibility but others have real quality in their team, and we don't have that experience," he added.
"They know how to play under high pressure but I believe we don't have any pressure and we are surprising people with our position in the table. Most people didn't expect Southampton to be in fourth place at the end of February."
Juventus v Borussia Dortmund: Klopp´s resurgent charges eye European glory
22 February 2015
Borussia Dortmund's domestic resurgence leaves them in good shape heading into a UEFA Champions League last-16 tie with Juventus.
Jurgen Klopp has never shirked from the fact that Borussia Dortmund have flirted with disaster this season, but three Bundesliga wins in a row suggests they are beginning to find the form that has served them so well in Europe.
Dortmund impressively finished top of UEFA Champions League Group D with just one defeat, scoring 14 goals, which set up a last-16 meeting with Juventus.
And yet Klopp's men went into the mid-season break in the Bundesliga's bottom two, seemingly embroiled in a relegation battle.
For a club more used to fighting it out at the summit with Bayern Munich, many anticipated a revival in 2015, but it took a couple of games to begin - a 1-0 home loss to Augsburg at the start of February apparently the nadir.
Wins over Freiburg, Mainz and Stuttgart have seen Dortmund climb to the relative comfort of mid-table, putting them in good shape ahead of Tuesday's trip to Turin.
Meetings between Dortmund and Juve have been surprisingly scarce, but the last one proved memorable for the German side.
Munich played host to the 1996-97 Champions League final, where Karl-Heinz Riedle scored twice and Lars Ricken was on target in a 3-1 triumph against Juve.
Dortmund's name has not been engraved on the trophy since then, with their Wembley defeat to Bayern two years ago the closest they have come.
Juve's wait has been longer. The Italians were the holders when Dortmund won it, having beaten Ajax the year before - another Champions League success secured by a side on home soil, as the final was played in Rome.
It makes for a positive omen as far as Dortmund are concerned, given that the showpiece is in Munich this season.
But advancing past Juve represents a sizeable challenge, with Massimiliano Allegri's charges unbeaten in normal time since October's Serie A reverse to Genoa.
Boasting a nine-point advantage at the top of the table, Juve look set for a fourth consecutive Italian title, but they have not made it past the last eight of the Champions League since the 2002-03 campaign, when they were eventually beaten by Milan in the final.
The hosts had Arturo Vidal back in full training on Sunday following a minor injury, while Klopp will hope the flu bug that has affected his team will clear up and increase the options at his disposal, with the likes of Erik Durm, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Mats Hummels and Jeremy Dudziak having been impacted.
Manchester City v Barcelona: Luis Enrique wants response to Malaga loss
22 February 2015
Luis Enrique wants Barcelona to assuage the pain of Saturday's La Liga defeat to Malaga when they travel to Manchester City.
Barcelona will seek to exorcise the demons of Saturday's "painful" home defeat by overcoming Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.
Luis Enrique's side were lacklustre in a 1-0 La Liga loss to Malaga, which handed the initiative firmly to rivals Real Madrid in the domestic title race.
But the Catalan club still harbour hopes of completing a treble this season, with European aspirations taking centre stage on Tuesday as Barca head to the home of the English champions.
And assuaging the hurt of the weekend's setback is top of coach Luis Enrique's priorities.
"Defeats are painful whenever they occur and are difficult to overcome, but we have a great challenge [against Manchester City]," he said.
"I hope this [performance against Malaga] was an accident, but we will see in the coming weeks."
The result ended a run of 11 consecutive victories for Barca, who are on the brink of reaching the Copa del Rey final after their 3-1 first-leg triumph over Villarreal.
Barca overcame City at the same stage of last season's Champions League, a 4-1 aggregate success set up by a 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium, with Manuel Pellegrini's side having a man sent off in both fixtures.
The hosts head into the match having rediscovered their form and scoring touch, with the last two Premier League games yielding six points and nine goals.
Saturday's 5-0 hammering of Newcastle United was City's first triumph at home since New Year's Day and came on the same day leaders Chelsea dropped points against Burnley.
With his side's title chances having received a boost, Pellegrini's focus will now fall on helping City reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
The Chilean may have to make do without James Milner, who missed the Newcastle match with a knee injury, while Yaya Toure will not be able to face his former club as he concludes a suspension following his dismissal against CSKA Moscow.
A 21-man Barca squad will make the trip to Manchester, with the one cause for concern being defender Jordi Alba, who trained alone on Sunday following a knock.
One man among the visiting contingent who may have more to prove than the rest is Dani Alves, whose failure to deal with a straightforward long ball allowed Juanmi to net Malaga's winner at Camp Nou.
The Brazilian will have fond memories of facing City, though, having netted in both legs last season.
The return leg will take place in Barcelona on March 18 - just four days before El Clasico.
Dortmund won't look like a relegation-threatened side against Juventus - Klopp
By Alec Fenn
Feb 23, 2015 19:36:12
The BVB boss believes his side have turned a corner and are more than capable of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League
Borussia Dortmund won't look anything like a relegation-threatened side when they travel to Italy to face Juventus on Tuesday, according to the Germany club's coach, Jurgen Klopp.
BVB arrive Italy on the back of three successive Bundesliga wins, but a terrible start to the campaign means last season's runners-up are well off the pace in 12th place.
They will need to be on top of their game in Turin as they face Juve in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie, with the Bianconeri nine points clear at the top of Serie A.
Klopp, however, is convinced of the quality within his side and is expecting them to rise to the occasion, just as they did in winning Group D to reach the knockout stages of the competition as a seeded side.
"We had many problems in the first part of the season," the former Mainz coach said at the pre-match press conference. "But we knew that we could play much, much better if we get time to work on it. And now that has happened.
"You will not think on Tuesday that we are fighting against relegation.
"Juventus have a very experienced team, which brings much quality on the pitch. I think it will be tough for both teams and both have a chance to get through."
The most famous meeting between the sides came back in 1997 when Dortmund beat Juventus 3-1 in the Champions League final, courtesy of two goals from Karl-Heinz Riedle and a Lars Ricken strike.
However, when asked about one of the club's greatest nights, Klopp said it would have little significance for his current squad.
"No, we haven't talked about it yet," he added. "The evening back then was a very important moment in the history of the club. But I don't think that may players would be even more motivated if we show something from then.
"Today Juventus are not as far away from us as they were in 1997. Anyway it does not mean that we'll have an easy way through."
The Italian was fulsome in his praise of the man who will sit in the opposite dug-out to him on Tuesday night and described BVB's league position as "an anomaly"
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has hailed Jurgen Klopp's achievements at Borussia Dortmund, saying he has rebuilt the club and made them a powerful force in European football.
The two sides meet in Turin in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie on Tuesday, but the pair have endured contrasting fortunes domestically so far this season.
Klopp has been under intense pressure after a disastrous Bundesliga campaign that saw BVB bottom of the table until recently, having won just seven of their 22 matches this season.
In contrast, Juventus appear untouchable in Serie A and are on course to win a fourth straight league title as they boast a nine-point lead ahead of second-placed Roma.
That said, Dortmund have again impressed in Europe this season after winning Group D and Allegri paid tribute to Klopp's work in recent years.
"Dortmund are a good, organised team who play good football, especially in the final third," he said at Monday's press conference. "They score a lot of goals.
"Klopp has rebuilt Dortmund and made great strides in Europe. He's a great coach. Their position in the Bundesliga is an anomaly, they'll be near the top by the end of the season."
Juve failed to make the knockout stages of the competition under Antonio Conte, but reached the last-16 at the first time of asking under Allegri after finishing second in Group A behind Atletico Madrid.
The Bianconeri conceded just three goals in their six group stage games and the former AC Milan boss believes their defensive resilience will be key to their chances of reaching the quarter-finals.
"It is an important game but not a final. We have 180 minutes to play against a team in a rich vein of form. Tomorrow's not a league game; it's the first of two legs against BVB.
"We'll need to play with plenty of intensity because their four strikers are fast and dangerous.
"We must keep a clean sheet tomorrow. I believe we have an excellent chance of getting through to the next round."
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri is paying little attention to Borussia Dortmund's league position ahead of a UEFA Champions League tie.
Borussia Dortmund's lowly position in the Bundesliga is an "anomaly" according to to Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, whose side host the German outfit in the UEFA Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.
Jurgen Klopp's men have endured a remarkably poor season so far, but a run of three wins on the bounce has seen them climb to 12th, having previously looked in danger of falling to an unthinkable relegation.
And Allegri knows Juve will need to be at the top of their game to come away from the first leg at Juventus Stadium with the advantage.
"Tomorrow we'll need to play with plenty of intensity," he said. "Their four strikers are fast and dangerous.
"Dortmund are a well organised team who play good football, especially in the final third. They score plenty of goals.
"We must keep a clean sheet tomorrow. I believe we have an excellent chance of getting through to the next round.
"Klopp has made great strides in Europe. He's rebuilt Dortmund and is a great coach."
Asked about Dortmund's league position, Allegri said: "It's an anomaly. I think they'll be in and around the top spots come the end of the season."
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, meanwhile, is optimistic about his side's chances.
"We want to try and keep our Champions League dream alive for as long as possible," he added. "We're up against one of the best teams in Europe. They can beat anyone and we have respect for them.
"We're curious to see how we measure up with Dortmund tomorrow night."
With his team on a three-game winning run in the Bundesliga, Jurgen Klopp is keen for Borussia Dortmund to show their worth versus Juventus.
Jurgen Klopp feels his Borussia Dortmund side have something to prove when they face Juventus in the UEFA Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.
Dortmund visit Juve for the first-leg clash on the back of a three-game winning streak in the Bundesliga that has cooled talk of potential relegation from the German top tier.
Klopp puts their recent form down to his squad's improved fitness and views the challenge of facing the Serie A leaders as an opportunity for Dortmund to re-emphasise their quality on the European stage.
"We had troubles at the start of the season, mainly down to the injuries we suffered at the time. Our physical shape has improved," Klopp said.
"In the Bundesliga we weren't in peak physical shape. It's not a matter of motivation, more injuries and bad luck.
"We can keep improving. We still need to rediscover our consistency in the Bundesliga. We'll soon be back at the top.
"Juventus possess plenty of experience and quality. We'll require a big effort to get through to the next round.
"We're motivated to show our worth in this last 16 tie."
Bayer Leverkusen v Atletico Madrid: Moya confident of positive result
23 February 2015
Miguel Angel Moya says Atletico Madrid must not underestimate Bayer Leverkusen when the sides meet in the UEFA Champions League last 16.
Goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya is confident Atletico Madrid can come away from Bayer Leverkusen with the advantage in their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.
Diego Simeone's men head to the BayArena on Wednesday for the first leg of their clash with the Bundesliga outfit, having come through the group stage losing just one match - a 3-2 defeat at Olympiacos in September.
And Moya says he is looking forward to getting started in the knockout stages, as Atleti look to go one better than last year, when they lost the final to rivals Real Madrid.
"The Champions League is always special," he told AS. "Now we are getting to the business end, it is a great thing.
"It's the game we've been waiting for for weeks.
"They're a German club and it will be a difficult match. They have not had a great time of things in the Bundesliga this season, but I think they are starting to turn things around.
"We will go there with the utmost respect, but also with the maximum desire to pick up the positive result that will give us an advantage."
Leverkusen, who drew 2-2 with Augsburg on Saturday, have found it difficult to put matches to bed in the top flight this term, drawing nine and losing five of their 22 matches so far.
However, Moya feels Atleti would be foolish to head to Germany expecting victory.
"They have some very good players in attack," he added. "[Hakan] Calhanoglu is a great free-kick taker, but the best thing about Leverkusen is that they are a unit, like us, a team.
"It's always good if your opponents come into a match without good morale, but that is forgotten when you go into a different competition.
"They will be highly motivated, like us."
Leverkusen have never won a last-16 tie in the Champions League, but reached the final in 2002 when the competition featured a second group stage.
Omer Toprak is suspended following his dismissal in the group clash with Benfica.
Arsenal - Monaco Preview: No sentiment for Wenger ahead of Champions League clash
By Peter Thompson
Feb 24, 2015 08:00:00
The Frenchman comes up against his former club in the last-16 tie but had admitted he was taken aback when the two teams were drawn against each other
Arsene Wenger suffered "an emotional shock" when Arsenal drew Monaco in the last 16 of the Champions League but there will be no room for sentiment when the two sides meet at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
Wenger spent seven years in charge of the Ligue 1 club after taking over in 1987, and Monaco were crowned French champions in his first season at the helm.
Wenger also won the Coupe de France during his successful spell in Monaco before moving on to Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight.
The 65-year-old was then appointed by Arsenal in 1996 and is still going strong at the London club, who have being crowned champions of England three times and won the FA Cup five times during his tenure.
Wenger will come up against injury-hit Monaco for the first time since leaving the club in the first leg on Wednesday and the Arsenal boss admitted he was taken aback when the draw was made.
"To be honest it was a surprise, because I always expect the most prestigious team to come out against us - that has happened the last five or six years," he told Uefa's official website.
"It's also one of those strange coincidences in life, because between them these two clubs account for 25 years of my life. That's very unusual, to meet in the Champions League. It was a little bit of an emotional shock."
Arsenal have failed to reached the quarter-finals in each of the last four seasons - losing to Bayern Munich in each of the last two campaigns after Milan and Barcelona also beat them in the round of 16.
Wenger's men moved up to third in the Premier League courtesy of Saturday's 2-1 derby win at Crystal Palace and head into this tie on the back of three consecutive victories.
Monaco should also have a spring in their step after securing a 1-0 derby victory at Nice on Friday despite playing with 10 men for 45 minutes following Aymen Abdennour's dismissal.
That victory - which moved Leonardo Jardim's men up to fourth in Ligue 1 - came at a cost, though, as full-back Layvin Kurzawa suffered a thigh injury and is a doubt for the clash with Arsenal.
Jardim also has concerns over Ricardo Carvalho (calf) and Andrea Raggi (knee), while midfielders Tiemoue Bakayoko (thigh) and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (knock) also face a race against time to be fit.
Striker Lacina Traore (fractured tibia) is definitely out and captain Jeremy Toulalan misses out due to suspension.
Arsenal, who will have to keep former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov quiet, have concerns over midfielders Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (groin) and Aaron Ramsey (hamstring).
Pellegrini: We'll play Barcelona at their own game
Feb 23, 2015 14:56:00
The Chilean insists he will not alter his style for the visit of the Catalans later this week, and says that Yaya Toure's absence will not hurt his side's chances of victory
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is plotting to beat Barcelona at their own game in Tuesday's Champions League last-16 clash.
The Premier League champions are noted for their possession football but have struggled to dominate matches in Europe.
But Pellegrini hopes to see that change against Barca and insists he will not alter City's style to try and counter the Liga side's attacking threat.
"At this stage of the competition when you play over 180 minutes it is very important to win the first game. After that, try not to concede goals here at home. If you can't draw, 0-0 is better than 1-1," said Pellegrini at his pre-match press conference.
"It's important to try to win here. But our team is also demonstrating we are playing better away than we did last year.
"I don't think that last year we changed our style. Maybe we couldn't do what we tried to do. As I say, we had played 19 games in two months. So we tried to play another way.
"The main thing for our team is to try to fight for the possession of the ball, that's very important. We need to have the ball as long as we can. After that, give good distribution to take Barcelona as near to their box as we can."
On Barca's style, Samir Nasri commented: "Barca has a great philosophy of football. It can be fun if you play your game, but if they have possession it's not fun."
City will be without Yaya Toure for the clash after the Ivory Coast international was sent off during the club's group stage game against CSKA Moscow, but Pellegrini insists the midfielder's absence won't be an issue.
"I always prefer to play with Yaya in my team, but we can play without him also," he added. "We played without him against Roma and Bayern Munich.
The Chilean also revealed that James Milner is "100 per cent fit", while Wilfried Bony could make his European debut for the club following his January move from Swansea.
The winger believes the two sides are evenly matched and predicts the contest will be decided by the finest of margins over the two legs
Marco Reus says Borussia Dortmund's last-16 Champions League clash with Juventus is a 50-50 tie with no clear favourite.
While Dortmund have struggled domestically and sit 12th in the Bundesliga, they have impressed in Europe again after reaching the final and quarter-finals of the competition in each of the last two seasons.
BVB finished top of Group D ahead of second placed Arsenal, while Juve qualified for the knockout stages having sealed the runners-up spot in Group A behind Atletico Madrid.
Reus, who recently signed a new contract with the club until 2019, is expecting the tightest of contests but has drawn confidence from their efforts in Europe prior to Christmas.
"Juventus are really a strong team," he told Kicker. "The chances of qualifying I think are about 50/50. We are proud enough to say that we can eliminate them if we deliver a top performance. On the top-level it is brutally difficult, though.
"We have seen in the first round that we are different in the Champions League than in the Bundesliga. We have beaten Arsenal and Galatasaray in Istanbul. The top level has its own laws. It is certainly very interesting. For every player in the world the motivation is particularly high."
The 25-year-old is yet to win a major trophy at Dortmund since joining the club from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2012, with just two DFL-Supercup medals to his name, but he is targeting league and European success in the years ahead.
"Winning the league is still a major goal. I want to achieve it at least once more," he said. "I wil give everything to achieve that and I have a large and strong feeling that it will happen eventually.
"We have already seen how beautiful it is to be in a Champions League final. And we are still hungry to win the Champions League sometime."
Buffon tells Reus: We all know who the best goalkeeper of all time is
Feb 23, 2015 12:52:00
The Juventus and Borussia Dortmund stars discussed their careers, playing styles and heroes before predicting who would win Tuesday's big Champions League game
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus met for a humorous one-on-one interview ahead of their clash in the Champions League - and both agree the Italian is the greatest goalkeeper of all time.
Reus asked Buffon who the best No.1 ever is and he mischievously replied: "Well, we should speak about the second best because we all know who the best is..."
"You, of course," the Germany star admitted.
The PUMA-sponsored duo discussed Tuesday's game, with both predicting wins for their own teams, their favourite films, beard growth, and whether it is better to win 4-3 or 1-0.
"Do you prefer shots to the left or the right side of the goal?" Reus cheekily asked, with Buffon replying, "Would I still be playing at the top level at the age of 37 years if I had any weaknesses?"
You can watch the entire exchange between Buffon and Reus below.
Buffon vs. Reus | Head to Head Interview | PUMA Football
Click on subtittles / CC
PUMA recently launched its latest football campaign Head To Head. As the two international players battle it out on Tuesday night, Marco Reus will wear the new PUMA evoSPEED 1.3 football boot for extra manoeuvrability and speed, whilst Gianluigi Buffon wears the new evoPOWER 1.2 that provides him with additional kicking power when protecting the goal of Juventus.
Suarez: Barcelona can exploit City's weaknesses in defence
By Mark Doyle
Feb 24, 2015 15:23:03
The former Liverpool striker says the Premier League titleholders are formidable going forward but vulnerable at the back
Luis Suarez says that while Manchester City have the attacking talent to win the Champions League, Barcelona are more than capable of dumping them out of the competition by exploiting the English outfit's defensive deficiencies.
The two sides are set to meet in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Etihad on Tuesday and even though Yaya Toure is suspended for the hosts, coach Manuel Pellegrini will still be able to call upon quality offensive players such as Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, David Silva and Samir Nasri.
Suarez retains the utmost respect for City's firepower from his time at Liverpool and is thus dismissive of reports that the Premier League titleholders are there for the taking, given how poorly they performed domestically during January.
However, the Uruguayan, who is set to form a formidable front three with Lionel Messi and Neymar, nonetheless feels that Barca can cause their hosts all sorts of problems at the back.
"I think Manchester City are one of the candidates to win the Champions League," the striker told Uefa's official website. "People may doubt it due to the recent spell they went through, but it's Manchester City.
"They are the defending Premier League champions and they have world-class players in their ranks. They will fight for it until the end.
"We know Manchester City's qualities and the power they have in midfield and up front, but we also know their weaknesses from midfield to defence, and that is what we will have to take advantage of.
"They have really good players and they have really good quality with the ball. But we are Barcelona, we know our quality and we know what we can do against City."
The French midfielder won the Premier League and FA Cup double at the Gunners in the 1997-98 campaign, and he believes the current side prioritise style over substance
Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes the current team lacks the killer instinct required to emulate the success he enjoyed at the club.
The ex-France international achieved the Premier League and FA Cup double at Highbury in the 1997-98 campaign, becoming a key member of Arsene Wenger's squad in the process.
The current crop of Arsenal players ended a nine-year trophy drought last season, as they lifted the FA Cup at Hull City's expense, but, ahead of their Champions League clash with Monaco, Petit has bemoaned the lack of "killers" within the squad, while he also believes the Gunners prioritise style over substance.
"You have to remember the defence that we had," the World Cup winner told The Mirror.
"You could rely on [David] Seaman, [Tony] Adams, [Martin] Keown, etc.
"We knew how to travel. When we had to play, we knew how to do that too. I remember one away game at Wimbledon where Tony Adams came to say to me: 'Today, Manu, forget the football. It's war.'
"We knew how to adapt because we only wanted one thing: to win. Let's say that the Barcelona of keeping the ball has overtaken that style.
"But today, you have to be more direct and pragmatic. You see that with Germany or Real Madrid.
"Arsenal have very pretty players but there are not 'killers' in this team. At that time, we were tough, we did not play to look good."
The Portuguese midfielder says the Spanish champions cannot afford to give away any soft free-kicks given Hakan Calhanoglu's status as a dead-ball specialist
Tiago has admitted that Atletico Madrid are in the unfamiliar position of having to worry about their opponents' set-piece threat ahead of their Champions League last-16 tie with Bayer Leverkusen.
The Rojiblancos are renowned for their aerial threat from dead-ball situations but their hosts on Wednesday boast a free-kick expert in Hakan Calhanoglu.
Consequently, Tiago says that while Atletico are in great condition, mentally and physically, for their trip to Germany, they simply cannot afford to commit needless fouls in and around their own area at the BayArena.
"We've had time to prepare for this important phase of the competition," the midfielder told reporters on the eve of the first-leg clash. "All the players are in top shape.
"The group is strong and prepared. In football, results rule and hopefully we can show with results that we are all well.
"But we have to be careful on set-pieces because we know they have a very qualified player in this aspect [Hakan].
"But they also attack with a lot of men and they're very dangerous.
"We have to face a dangerous and difficult rival and we have to try to get a good result in Leverkusen."
Atletico arrive in Germany on the back of a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Liga rivals Almeria, but Leverkusen extended their winless run in the Bundesliga to three games with a draw against Augsburg at the weekend.
The ex-Tottenham striker is no stranger to battles with the Gunners and he intends to help the Ligue 1 side cause an upset at the Emirates
Dimitar Berbatov believes Monaco can pounce on and exploit any mistakes Arsenal make to cause a Champions League shock on Wednesday.
The principality club topped their group in the first half of the season but are the underdogs against Arsene Wenger's men in the last 16 stage of the competition.
Berbatov, who has a wealth of experience against Arsenal from his years at arch-rivals Tottenham and title rivals Manchester United, acknowledged the Premier League heavyweights are favourites but thinks that they can cause an upset if they can successfully exploit weaknesses.
"It'll be a very difficult game," the Bulgarian striker, 34, told reporters. "Arsenal are favourites, but we've come here to get a good result.
"Every match is different. We'll have a good chance if we play as a team. We'll have to be very switched on to exploit any mistakes they make."
Leonardo Jardim's men topped Champions League Group C ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit St Petersburg and Benfica despite scoring just four goals in six games, and the experienced attacker admitted they need to strap on their scoring boots to have a chance against Arsenal.
"It's true that we haven't scored a lot of goals in the group stages, but we still managed to get through the group," Berbatov added. "For the moment, we've done what we have needed to do.
"Now it would be good if we could score some goals so we can get a good result. It doesn't matter who scores as long as it allows us to bring back something positive."
The second leg between Arsenal and Monaco will be held at Stade Louis II on March 17.
