Wojciech Szczęsny, Barcelona’s sturdy goalie, has talked candidly about the emotional rollercoaster that followed his team’s close loss in the Champions League semifinals.  With a pivotal El Clásico matchup against Real Madrid imminent, Szczęsny’s thoughts are a mix of pride and resentment.

“It’s easy to blame the referee’s calls in situations like these, but that’s not my main focus.  We must not look for justifications.  Regarding the penalty, I was right there and genuinely thought it wasn’t merited, but the decision was made since Pau reportedly didn’t touch the ball,” Szczęsny revealed.

“Our style of play remains consistent, and in Milan, we were on the brink of a historic final appearance,” he added, emphasizing the team’s philosophy.  At the last second, however, triumph eluded us.  Anger is a normal reaction, but pride is what I feel most of the time.  At the start of their careers, these young athletes have shown a great deal of potential.  I have no doubt that they will win the Champions League championship more than once in the future.  They have limitless potential.

Szczęsny highlighted the intrinsic motivation as he looked ahead to the crucial encounter against Real Madrid, saying, “No more motivation is required for a contest of this magnitude.  It is the most important game of the season and might decide the league’s fate.  I have faith that we can recover both physically and emotionally so that we can play at our peak on Sunday, win El Clásico, and effectively win the league.”