We have to beat Spurs to save our season, insists Manuel Almunia

Night to forget: Manuel Almunia is now looking ahead to Spurs
11 April 2012

Manuel Almunia today vowed that Arsenal will bounce back from their Champions League exit to Barcelona and insists they can salvage their season by winning the Premier League.

Lionel Messi struck all four goals last night as the defending champions marched into the semi-finals with a breathtaking 4-1 victory at the Nou Camp to seal a 6-3 aggregate win.

The Gunners had taken the lead through Nicklas Bendtner but were ultimately outclassed as they fell to their 10th defeat of the season in all competitions.

Arsene Wenger's side have recovered from heavy Premier League losses by Manchester United and Chelsea this season and Almunia believes they can show their mental strength again, starting with next week's trip to arch-rivals Tottenham.

"They are different competitions but now we have to forget this situation," said the Arsenal goalkeeper.

"We are in a good moment in the Premier League and we have to show big character as we have done already in big moments.

"We have to believe we can still win a trophy. If not, then we should go home and forget the season.

"At least we are in the League fighting for the title and that is what we want. We want to play the last few games where anything is possible, otherwise we would be very disappointed and bored.

"It is a completely different game against Spurs and I think we will be okay for that match.

"We are down now and disappointed but we have to accept that Barcelona were better than us in both legs and now we must focus on winning the Premier League.

"Tottenham are playing for a Champions League place too and it will be a very tough game. No matter when we play or what we are fighting for, a derby match is special at any moment.

"Everybody has played at Tottenham's stadium and we won't be surprised by the hostility. We have played against them many times and we know their football and support."

Theo Walcott, who laid on Bendtner's first-half opener, hailed Messi as the best player in the world after the Barca striker took his season's tally to an incredible 39 goals from 43 games.

"Lionel Messi is probably the only player on the planet who could have scored goals like that, all four of them," said Walcott.

"They played some fantastic football out there and there was just nothing we could do about it. They had that cutting edge and they took every single chance. Messi has shown he is the best player in the world."

Messi claimed the matchball after his first four-goal haul in the Champions League — he had never scored a hat-trick in the competition before last night — and said: "I've always been treated well by our fans. I feel very good, so happy for this win.

"We knew we had to play a game like this in front of our supporters. We started badly but we ended in a spectacular way.

"There's plenty to do in the Champions League and also in La Liga. Now we have a very important game at Real Madrid on Saturday and we should keep on working like this."

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, who recently claimed to be lost for words to describe the brilliance of his star player, chose to focus on the striker's human aspect while all around were marvelling at the latest chapter in the consecration of a great footballer.

"The good thing about Messi is that tomorrow he will get up and look for the affection of his people and his team-mates," he said last night.

"I like the love that he has for football and his anonymous character.

"Leo was brilliant and he was decisive for us last night."

But asked how he would describe the performance of a player who is still only 22, Guardiola insisted words were insufficient.

"You have to see it — it is not something you can describe because you have to see it to believe it," he said.

The former Barcelona captain claimed the whole club deserved praise following another passage to the semi-finals of Europe's premier club competition.

"All the players were brilliant last night and I think it's a great achievement to be in the semi-finals again because this competition is so difficult to win," he said.

"I congratulate the team and beyond that, the club, because in five years we have played four Champions League semi-finals and that speaks highly of the club."

Messi's brilliance aside, Guardiola believes the win over Arsenal was fully deserved.

"We had more possession than them, though the game was dangerous, but when we equalised we calmed down and we were very aggressive in defence," he said.

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