Tito defends Messi call

Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova insisted he was right to play Lionel Messi at the weekend after the Argentine sat out the 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.

The World Player of the Year has been struggling with a hamstring injury, but he was passed fit to feature in Barca's 2-2 draw against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

However, Messi watched from the bench as Bayern cruised into the Champions League final with a 7-0 aggregate victory, and Vilanova admitted the Argentine was left out because he feared he would aggravate the injury.

"Leo played in Bilbao on Saturday because he felt better," said Vilanova. "He imprinted a change on the team but at the end of the game he felt some strange sensations.

"He trained this week, but he didn't feel right. He is an explosive player and there was a risk he could tear his hamstring, so he couldn't help the team in these conditions."

Vilanova also denied suggestions that his team were becoming too reliant on Messi, insisting Barca had performed well without their record-breaking talisman.

"All these years when we have played without Leo we have won games by small margins, but this year in the league we have won games 5-0 and 3-0 without him on the pitch," he added.

"When you have a player that is so good, it is normal that you notice it. If Bayern had been without Franck Ribery or Arjen Robben they would not be at this level."

Vilanova also dismissed speculation of widespread changes to the Barcelona squad at the end of the season, and blamed the crushing defeat on a lengthy injury list.

"All squads are reinforced every season. I said the other day that we didn't need to change much, but rather recuperate the players we do have," he said.



"Bayern have arrived at this point with all their players and we have many out. Despite the great squad that we have you cannot win all the titles either. You can't win everything and the first leg has weighed heavily on this game."


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Vilanova vows to stay on at Barca

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has confirmed he will continue in his job next season - despite his health concerns.



Speaking to the media for the first time since returning to Spain from a 10-week stint in New York where he underwent treatment for cancer, an upbeat Vilanova said he "felt strong" and wanted to carry on working.

"I feel strong and, health permitting, I'm looking forward to continuing in the job," he said



"I feel well after all that I've been through. I didn't come back any earlier because there were some side effects.



"But I'm feeling better with every day and I was really looking forward to returning here."

Vilanova had chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the United States following surgery on his parotid gland in December.



The 44-year-old had suffered a relapse after first having a tumour removed from his throat in November 2011.



Assistant Jordi Roura and Aureli Altimira have looked after the first-team in his absence and Vilanova praised them for doing "an exemplary job".

"In any other place this situation of not having a manager would have been a big problem," he said.

And he never had any thoughts of stepping down.

"There were problems due to the distance. But in New York, my day-to-day life was generally good and I was able to keep in contact with the team thanks to new technologies," he added.



"If ever I get two days off, I don't know what to do. This job is not a burden to me and the doctors told me that the best thing I could do was to work."

Barcelona look set to go out of the UEFA Champions League after its 4-0 semi-final first-leg defeat to Bayern Munich, but can win back the Primera Division title from Real Madrid this weekend.



And Vilanova reckons his players deserve praise for how they have coped.



"The club's work-rate and commitment has been extraordinary, we should be pleased with these players for managing to hold their place in the league and reach the Champions League semi-finals for the sixth year running," he added.



On the Bayern tie, Vilanova said all was not lost.

"Bayern truly did come into the game on spectacular form and, although we didn't play badly, we weren't at our best," he said.



"But 4-0 was not a fair reflection. But we are Barca and it is our obligation to go out in front of our fans and show them what we are made of, to compete and try to win.



"We'll see what happens. We have to play confidently. I know it will be difficult, but I'm not throwing the towel in."