As someone who lived through FC Barcelona’s drubbing last season at the hands of Bayern Munich, one thought above all dominated my expectations of last night’s match against Man City at the Etihad stadium: Would Barca get beaten by Pellegrini ‘s Premier League Galacticos, thus losing not to a team of star players but also more important boasting of a style that, encouraged by the ex-Barca executives, on a good day, evokes the glory days of Guardiola under Laporta.
As things turned out, Barca’s 2-0 victory was achieved in a way that should go some way towards purging that sad memory, suggesting the fickleness of commentators who at the time rushed into proclaiming the end of an era.
Of course the ultimate test in this Champion’s League has yet to come, not least if and when Barca play either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid- the only two teams in my view seriously challenging for the title this season. But this should not minimise the impressive way in which Barca last night dispatched Man City, outclassing them in possession and passing, and suggesting that they could have won by a bigger margin.
To fail to recognise one’s own failings or to honour the evident superiority of the opposition, and rant instead about a referee’s decision after a game , may be characteristic of Mourinho- the agent provocateur of European football- but it dents Pellegrini’s reputation as one of the game’s true gentlemen.
The fumbling hunk Di Michaeli’s deliberate and desperate cut down of the impish hobbit Messi as he headed on a determined final run for almost certain goal, seemed a clear enough penalty foul not just to me and the thousands of Barca fans behind the goal, but to a majority of the Man City fans who were on either side.
Even those who may have disputed this decision, were reduced to almost stunned silence by the way that Barca kept the ball for long periods and threatened to break through, against the repeated chorus of ‘oles’ by their fans.
“You don’t remember when we were shit,” chanted a Man City fan after the game. Man City was last night certainly a much evolved proposition from the club that struggled in a lower division just a few years back, and its covered stadium showed it has a comfortable edge on exposed sectors of the Nou Camp, but it can no longer claim supreme status this season. I don’t believe they will be able to claw back in the second leg, even with Aguero back in the team.
There were of course two other incidents last night which arguably the ref got wrong and which went in Man City’s favour. However to reduce this game to an argument about a Swede’s whistle timing is to belittle a fascinating encounter between giant teams, during which Barca prevailed, and without using its full ammunition.
This was a Barca with a Messi not quite back to full form, and with Neymar also yet to be fully fit and get into his full stride. As it was I think Barca’s manager Tata Martino could have gained a greater goal advantage had he risked bringing in Neymar earlier on, and Pedro instead of Sergio Roberto.
And yet if this Barca , injuries notwithstanding, looks and plays with greater energy and commitment than the team that struggled with evident signs of exhaustion in the last weeks of last season, it is thanks to Tata’s rotation policy in the run-up to and beyond the New Year of 2014 and which is now entering a period of consolidation when the best team possible is required.
There were times last night when the choreography led by Xavi and Iniesta in mid field recalled the superdream team days, while the combination play between Neymar and Alves in the last quarter of the game showed a real touch of Brazilian genius in attack which they will no doubt plan to replay in their own country later this summer.
And while on the subject of the World Cup, I still get a sense that Messi is pacing himself for a tournament he knows he will need to win for Argentina if he is to replace Maradona as the best player in history. But he also knows that Barca winning another championship league is also a prize worth going for.
And for those in a rush to write off La Roja’s chances, some of the best play on both sides last night was from players that aspire to represent the Spanish national squad. For Man City, Silva and Negredo failed to deliver goals but surely would have done, had they had better support. Silva together with Barca‘s Xavi were my men of the match. By contrast, Man City’s Navas is not as fast or lethal in attack as Real Madrid’s revelation of the season, the home grown Jesé .
But it was among Barca’s crop of international players- that one felt the confidence and enjoyment that has been short of supply for too much of the season.
Less impressive on the night , despite one excellent save, was Valdes , too often seemingly struggling and uncertain in aerial combat against the City big men of Negredo and Yaya Touré , and Macherano, the weakest link in Barca’s defence, that nevertheless held up thanks to a towering performance by Pique who seemed to relish showing Manchester City fans how much he has matured since leaving man United.
Nevertheless it was a nice gesture of Valdes, followed by Jordi Alba, to throw his shirt to the Barca fans, whose vocal and visual support was bigger than that of the home fans for most of the match. The subsequent tribute by Barca players coming over and applauding their fans, was a moment I personally relished as lover of good football- one in which a team and a fan base recovered its sense of self-worth before a worldwide audience.
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