Rijkaard: Final won't be pretty

Wed 30 Apr, 12:30 AM

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard has applauded English football for its first Champions League final - but he does not expect a classic showdown.Paul Scholes' goal at Old Trafford on Tuesday gave Manchester United a 1-0 victory over the two legs against Barca to set up a final in Moscow with either Liverpool or Chelsea.

Despite calls for him to resign in the immediate aftermath of the defeat, Rijkaard intends to remain in his job, at least until the end of the season.

The former Holland star was magnanimous enough to say English clubs deserve their success but Rijkaard, tipped as a potential successor to Chelsea coach Avram Grant, is not a great lover of the way they play.

"The level of English teams is high," he said.

"It is very difficult to beat them because they are very strong. They are very organised and all get behind the ball. It is very tough to beat an English team.

"The type of football they play is only in the Premier League. They defend as though their lives depend on it. And they are very successful.

"If they didn't play each other, they could easily have had four English teams in the semi-finals.
"But I do feel English teams have a lot more to give. I just feel it is a great pity it is not the most beautiful kind of football to watch."

Rijkaard claimed he was happy with his side's performance, bemoaning only their failure to score over the two legs.

And, rather than attack his players for their failure, he feels they should be backed by ultra-critical supporters as they bid to at least secure an automatic path to next year's competition.
"We did everything but score," he said.

"We gave everything and had the better of the play but the rules of the game are that the team who scores goes through - and they scored.

"It is a difficult defeat to stomach, a tough one to take. But the players require help and support and they need to show character and courage."

Rijkaard insists he will stay at the club, even though it seems certain his tenure at the Nou Camp will end this summer.

"Leaving has not entered my head. I have no intention of leaving," he said.

"It would be a different thing if the players were saying it's time for me to go but that's not the case.

"Barcelona is a massive club with plenty of people capable of making decisions at the end of the season if decisions need to be taken.

"It will be time to draw conclusions at the end of the season. but it would be overplaying it to say the season has been a failure."