http://sport.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/ 2006/03/07/sfnche07.xml Makelele content to let feet do the talking By Alex Hayes (Filed: 07/03/2006 選錄) Claude Makelele is a pragmatist. Everything the Chelsea midfielder does or says is simple and to the point. No matter that Chelsea are about to play the most important 90 minutes of their season against Barcelona; no matter that the temperature is rising at the Nou Camp; and no matter that so many around him seem to be losing their heads: Makelele is a as cool and collected as ever. "We can win this match and qualify for the quarter-finals," he insists. "I know that many people will feel that we are as good as out of the Champions League, following our 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, but I remain convinced that we can do it. Nothing is lost." "I feel ready and confident," the 32-year old says. "I'm not going to make wild predictions or try t persuade myself that anything is possible, but this Chelsea team are more than capable of standing up to Barcelona in their own back-yardand reaching the last eight of the competition. "The reason why I am saying this with such confidence is because this is exactly what the other players think as well. There is in this group an incredible self-belief that, challenge, nothing can stop us." Many would disagree with Makelele's bold assertion. Statistics alone suggest that Chelsea have more than one foot on the trap door. The history of the European Cup and its subsequent transformation into the Champions League, shows a team who have lost the first leg 2-1 at home have only five per cent chance of progressing to the next round. "Of course it will be very tough," the Frenchman concedes. "It's a massive test for us, probably our biggest for many a year, but I'm certain that we will score a goal at the Nou Camp. And, if we find the net early on in the game, then it will be very interesting to see how Barca react. Their defence is by no means impossible to breach, as was proved again last weekend, and a slip-up in the opening minutes could totally destabilise them and allow doubts to creep into their minds." Makelele remains upbeat, yet respectful ahead of tonight's match. "We have the right players and mentality to win," he says, "but we're not going into this match believing that it's going to be easy. Barcelona have some incredibly talented players, especially up front. Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho are world-class stars, who would grace any side in the world. But that is our motivation. It's up to up to prove that we can score and then beat the best." A two-goal victory at the Nou Camp, against arguable the most accomplished club side in the world, would be some achievement. "I know how intimidating the stadium can be," says makelele, who played there several times during his three years with Real Madrid. "The noise can be deafening and the pitch is very wide, but we tasted all that last year and I'm sure we'll be able to rise above all the hype." Makelele is not one for digging up the past. He has never felt it necessary to utter a bad, or indeed mocking, word about Real, even though the Spanish giants let him go in 2003 when he asked for a moderate pay rise and have not won a trophy since. He is, therefore, uneasy when asked to comment on the first leg incidents. "I know Chelsea are doing well at the moment,"he sighs, "but why is everyone so obsessed with every detail from our games? So much was said and written about the match at Stamford Bridge, that the public must be sick and tired of going over all that again. "I feel Asier Del Horno did not deserve to be sent off for his challenge on Messi. A yellow card would have been enough. As for our supposed tatical naivety, when we continued to chase the game even after going down to 10 men, I believe we did exactly the right thing. To beat Barcelona, you have to go at them. That's what we did then, and that's what we'll do again tonight." --

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