Pep Guardiola admits Barcelona initially struggled to break down a stubborn Leverkusen before upping their game.
But Leverkusen coach says hosts showed 'too much respect'
Pep Guardiola admits Barcelona initially struggled to break down a stubborn Leverkusen before upping their game in an entertaining second-half in the BayArena.
Uefa Champions League holders Barcelona took a step towards the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over the Bundesliga giants on Tuesday.
Alexis Sanchez took their only clear chance of an uneventful opening period, but the visitors conceded shortly after the restart as Leverkusen sprung to life.
It prompted Guardiola's men to up their performance, and they duly ran out clear winners with further goals from Sanchez and Messi respectively.
"We had a few chances in the first half, but perhaps the final pass was missing," said Guardiola.
Space
"I think the second half was good, we used the space better after we took the lead.
"We tried to improve our game. But we were playing away and we came into the game after the break."
Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt believes his side gave Barcelona "too much respect" but seemed content with his side's effort.
"The defence was good in the first half, but we were lacking a bit of courage," he said. "We gave them too much respect and were a bit anxious.
"It was a completely different story in the second half when we played our part in the game and caused Barcelona some problems."
