Villa says Barça must learn from mistakes
Monday, April 1, 2013
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Scorer in the round of 16 comeback win over AC Milan, David Villa has his sights set on a semi-final spot – but knows FC Barcelona cannot afford a repeat of their display in Italy.
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An injured David Villa did not feature in FC Barcelona's 2-0 defeat by AC Milan in their round of 16 opener, but he made sure he had a say in the 4-0 second-leg comeback at the Camp Nou when he curled in the crucial third goal.
Now Paris Saint-Germain FC stand between Barcelona and the semi-finals, and the Spanish international forward says the Blaugrana must learn from their mistakes if they are to beat an ambitious team coached by one of Milan's most decorated alumni.
"You learn from losses as well as wins," Villa explained. "In Milan, we suffered a lot, but we managed to bounce back at home. Tomorrow will be another difficult match and we will have to be focused to avoid making the same errors as in Milan.
"Against them, we were reminded how important it is to score in the first leg," continued Villa. "We hope to manage that tomorrow, even though we'll host the return leg again. It's important to be at 100% for 180 minutes."
The return to the bench of Tito Vilanova is sure to be a fillip in this regard. The Barça coach has been undertaking treatment in New York since January following a throat operation in December, coinciding with something of a rocky patch by the Catalan club's high standards; four defeats and four draws in their 19 matches in 2013.
"Of course we are very happy about Tito Vilanova's return," said Villa. "It's always good to have the boss with you. We're also very happy with Éric Abidal's comeback: he's an example for us, the way he handled what he has gone through."
Despite their hit-and-miss form since the turn of the year, Barça are 13 points clear atop the Liga and the dominating display against the Rossoneri in their last European outing has ensured they are favourites to oust PSG reach the last four. It is a label that Villa dismisses.
"We're said to be the favourites, but it's very hard in this competition to know who really is the favourite," said Villa. "I think we'll only learn that after the match. Tomorrow will be a great contest, between two great teams: let's enjoy this occasion."
