Pep admits Barca may have gotten lucky

Posted Sunday, April 15, 2012 by ESPN

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola admits his side may not have deserved the penalty they were awarded in Saturday's 2-1 win over Levante.

With the score at 1-1, Isaac Cuenca was adjudged to have been illegally brought down in the penalty box, allowing Lionel Messi to step up and score the winner for the Catalan outfit.

And while Guardiola concedes it may not have been a penalty, he is happy with the three points and is already looking forward to two crucial upcoming fixtures against Chelsea and Real Madrid.

"It [the penalty decision] was so-so," Guardiola said in his post-match press conference. "Regardless, we scored a great goal for the first and we earned a great result ahead of our trips to London and Madrid."

Barca head to London for their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea on Wednesday, before taking on Real on Saturday, in a game which could see them cut Los Blancos' lead at the top of the table to just one point.

And while Guardiola admits his players have been far from at their best, he believes a number of fringe players have stepped up in recent weeks, namely Javier Mascherano, Adriano and Alexis Sanchez.

"[Eric] Abidal's role has been taken by Mascherano, and his concentration has been hugely important for us in defence," the former Barca captain added.

"Adriano is also having continuity and I think he is an extraordinary player. Alexis showed his presence in the box."

Ahead of next Saturday's game at the Nou Camp, it is worth noting that Barca have not lost to Real in five previous encounters this season.