Martin Demichelis'
dismissal proved to be the turning point as the Catalans established a
first-leg advantage at the Etihad
So much for this being the worst Barcelona side for years.
Lionel Messi and his fellow Catalan artisans took great delight in making
a mockery of that pre-match jibe from Jose Mourinho, by
subjecting Manchester City to a sobering reality check.
Manuel Pellegrini boasted his City side were the biggest team in Manchester
this season, but on this evidence they remain a work in progress when it comes
to European football at this rarefied level.
City may have played with spirit and endeavour throughout, but at this
standard of competition such impressive, but rudimentary, qualities are not
enough, particularly against a team of Barca’s proven class.
Ultimately, City paid the price for failing to recruit a central defender
of equal standing to skipper Vincent Kompany, with Martin Demichelis proving
their weak link with his costly dismissal. His poor positioning and subsequent
rash challenge in bringing down Messi to concede a 53rd-minute penalty, which
Barca’s star player converted, proved the beginning of the end for City.
City’s numerical disadvantage left them toiling for the rest of the
second-half and they fell victim to a fatal blow in the 90th minute when Dani
Alves scored a superbly-worked second for Barca.
At the end Pellegrini remonstrated with ref Jonas Eriksson, over what he
felt was a foul on Jesus Navas by Sergio Busquets, which went unpunished prior
to the move that yielded Barca’s penalty.
Scramble: Victor Valdes thwarts City - just
But however aggrieved Pellegrini may feel at perceived injustices, the
bottom line is that his faith in Demichelis at this level is hopelessly
misplaced and he and City have paid a heavy price for that.
Pellegrini said he would stick to his
principles and not base his team selection around Barca’s formidable marauding
attackers, but his line-up paid due deference to the quality of the visitors. Left-back Aleksandar Kolarov was
deployed in midfield to provide extra security, a move that worked until Andres
Iniesta released Messi and Demichelis undid all of his side’s good work.
Within two minutes, Barca had City plonked on what Sir Alex Ferguson
memorably called “the passing carousel”, tormenting their opponents with their
unerring ability to keep possession. City were forced into the early role of
bystanders but, to their credit, did not allow Barca to get in behind them or
hurt them, despite the away side holding on to the ball for prolonged periods.
Despite Barca’s supremacy on the ball, City were not without their own
chances, however sporadic. Alvaro Negredo got in behind the Barca defence and
clipped the ball back across goal, but there was no-one there to meet it, a
consequence of playing just one striker.
English return: Cesc Fabregas in action at the Etihad
Xavi tested Joe Hart with a fierce
long-range drive moments later, which the City keeper did well to parry, while Messi thudded a
free-kick into a wall of blue shirts after being body-checked by Kompany.
Messi, a peripheral figure early on, came
to life in the closing stages of the first-half, gliding past challenges and
embarking on his trademark slalom runs, which served as a warning to City of
the danger of affording him space. It was a warning Pellegrini's men failed to heed.
The penalty incident proved the game’s defining moment. Playing with a full
complement of players against Barca is hard enough, but playing with one man
less is a nigh on impossible task.
Messi coolly dispatched the spot-kick beyond Hart and Pellegrini responded
to his side’s numerical disadvantage by replacing Kolarov and Navas with Joleon
Lescott and Samir Nasri.
Key moment: Martin Demichelis is dismissed
Ten-man Chelsea managed to overcome Barcelona in the Nou Camp in the semi-finals
in 2012, but City, despite sticking to their task until the final minute, were
unable to stage a repeat of that heroic effort.
They rode their luck at times, Alves failing to make it 2-0 in the 68th
minute when he got in behind the City defence, only to drag his angled shot
wide of Hart’s far post.
Pellegrini threw on Edin Dzeko for Negredo, while Sanchez made way for
Neymar. City came close to equalising with 13 minutes to go with a David Silva
volley which Victor Valdes did well to hold.
Alves did not make the same mistake when he exchanged passes with Neymar
and left Lescott and Gael Clichy in his wake, steering his shot through Hart’s
legs and into the net.
For City, a club with ambitions to become a major force in Europe, this was
a chastening experience, but part of the learning curve they must endure if
they are to arrive at Barca’s level.
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