Vidic: It's not all about Messi

Nemanja Vidic believes it would be wrong to single Lionel Messi out as Barcelona's main danger man on Saturday.

The World Player of the Year scored the second goal in the 2009 final in Rome and has tormented defenders all season in the Champions League and La Liga.

However, the Reds captain is fully aware of the quality running all the way through Pep Guardiola's side. "I'm thinking about the whole Barcelona team," said Vidic. "Messi's a great player and he's very hard to stop but I'm not underestimating the other players they have, especially Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta.

"They're players who can produce a good pass or a good performance in a vital game. This is a team that's not about one player. It's about the team and I think Barcelona play very well as a team."

Concentration is the key for the Reds with the bitter memories of Rome still in the minds of the players. "In any game you have to concentrate, but especially in a final," added the Serbian skipper. "One moment can change the game, like the first goal in Rome. After that they played much better but before the goal we had two good chances. It's hard to say what will be decisive. It's one game - you never know what will happen.

"In the final we've got the best team in England against the best team in Spain. Both teams have quality, they have good individuals. one piece of skill or one mistake can change the whole game.

"Obviously when you go to the final and you lose the game it's not a great feeling," he admitted about the defeat two years ago. "To play in the final and then see another team celebrate after winning the biggest trophy is a difficult moment. It's sad. But on that occasion the better team won and we have to say they deserved it.

"There are always positives. We've watched a few videos and we've seen what they do and how they play. Now we're focusing on what we have to do to win the game. We're working hard to improve ourselves and to play our game. Obviously Barcelona are a great team and they'll have a lot of possession in the game, but we'll also try to exploit their weaknesses. All teams have weaknesses."

Vidic appreciates the manager has a difficult task in picking his team but believes all of the squad are ready to be called upon on the big day. "It's important to be fit and to play games together but it's not just Rio and myself," he explained. "The gaffer has a few big calls to make because everybody's fit and it will be hard to choose a starting XI. We're just trying to prepare as best we can and play as well as we can."