Guardiola: Messi Is Vital, But We Dominated Getafe

The young boss watched his side claw back from a goal down to preserve their unbeaten home record, albeit at the cost of their winning run of nine consecutive Liga games.

Still, he was in fine mood after the match, telling Marca, "I want to thank all the people who came to the stadium today and who applauded us at the end.

"The fans can't be fooled, and on days that we are not applauded, we've played badly. If they clapped today it's because they saw their team working hard and what they were working for."

He continued, "Maybe we rushed a bit in the final quarter and we lacked the finesse that would have given us that final pass or ball, but the team dominated the game, especially the second half."

What A Messi

The absence of Lionel Messi from the pitch was in the eyes of many a major factor in this match, the Argentine watching from the stands when he may have made a difference on the field of play.

"He's a vital player - a special one who is very good - but I do have others," said Guardiola, before changing the subject.

Bojan Krkic was the next matter on the agenda, the youngster not having one of his better games in a blaugrana shirt.

"Bojan didn't play badly," protested the boss.

"He's a centre forward, and to play in the position that he did today (right wing) costs him a bit, but he always makes a contribution and we must continue to press to allow him to show his best.

"Tomorrow I'll pay attention to see whether or not he's down. I don't think he will be, but if he is, what we'll do is help him and encourage him."


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