The Mowdog On The Road...: BARCELONA @ MANCHESTER CITY: A NON-LEAGUE VIEW...

Slipshod Barcelona Exploited By City’s Scavengers

Manchester City 3-1 Barcelona

In truth, Manchester blinked, possibly in awe at times for 35 minutes or so, as Barcelona’s offensive confidence belied some misplaced surety across their defensive zone to dominate possession and deserve the lead provided by Messi’s low finish, leaving Silva in his wake, following a long distance one-two with the inconsistent Neymar. Barca’s deep possession game was shaky however and it was always likely that an error would be forced by the huntsmen Aguero, De Bruyne and Sterling. The City pressers ran unrelentingly at times at opponents who were in receipt of numerous unwise, lax and often perilous passes across the zone, instigated by ‘keeper Ter Stegen.

THE APPROACH...

Whether Ter Stegen was actually confident, or perhaps more realistically believed that he ought to have been, was a matter for conjecture but his languid, last-second releases of the ball sometimes landed team-mates in jeopardy. Facially, Ter Stegen emits the aura of a Key Stage 1 schoolteacher, who is unable to discipline his unruly pupils and thus simply turns a blind eye to any misdemeanours or difficulties which occur. The hurrying/harrying syndrome was entirely down to his own languor.

ACADEMY FACILITIES...

Right defenceman Roberto, generally reliable with his distribution under pressure, has midfield traits, as does Mascherano, although neither possesses pace, yet Umtiti and Digne have the rapidity, yet neither Frenchman looked particularly comfortable when asked not to boot the ball clear. And so it came to pass that Barca’s effective 35 minutes and City’s abject acceptance of their possible fate was ripped to pieces like a bad essay by a secondary schoolteacher, who has caught a pupil copying in a class exam. The surprise was that Roberto committed the error, shoving a left-foot defensive pass towards but behind Busquets from touchline to middle; Aguero snaffled the ball, Sterling passed it and Gundogan applied the penance, as the German shot into goal easily past Ter Stegen, with Roberto lost in action.

NOT EXACTLY FLACKWELL HEATH FC...

Roberto erred again soon afterwards and City nearly scored, Aguero being unable to connect with Fernandinho’s low kick but the game had changed as quickly as the weather in Mount’s Bay, Cornwall, as Barca’s defence became more dishevelled, so that up to and indeed after the interval, Manchester’s resolve became more ambitious and the guests made more errors, becoming even more rattled.

THE BODGING & THE MOWDOG...

However, the visitors had survived a penalty appeal, as Sterling’s foot was stubbed by Umtiti, which the referee probably didn’t notice, although he was less than impressed by the winger’s exuberant flop to the ground. Sterling was booked. Digne had somehow escaped a yellow card for his two early misdemeanours, which highlighted the refereeing inconsistency, for Neymar and Rakitic were cautioned for their first fouls, yet Fernandinho had escaped punishment for his unwise early wild lunge on Busquets and Otamendi wasn’t reprimanded either, but in truth there was little nastiness on display.

FIREWORKS ABOVE...

Neymar had forced a near post save from Caballero, slick play involving Messi and Gomes had worked openings, which City had defended well through Otamendi and Stones but despite Suarez’s tremendous work ethic, his lack of true pace and on the night the service he received, kept the hosts in the game. Blocks by Stones from Gomes and Suarez and a wayward header by the ex-Liverpool forward were the only real problems City were forced to deal with but poor choices of pass blemished a couple more promising offensive situations for the Spanish team, especially when Roberto was unmarked on the right flank.

SPECTACULAR...

Manchester must have relished the thought of the second period, with Barca’s makeshift defence no doubt continuing to shove risky passes across its penalty-box and it was interesting that Mascherano, right-footed, had started on the left side of Umtiti, who is, er, left-footed and that ploy had lasted for about 17 minutes. Maybe to counter De Bruyne’s option for cutting inside from the left?

Roberto was in gift mode at the start of the second period however, failing to avail Busquets time to collect his pass and react and City rampaged forward again through Aguero but Sterling’s shot struck the side-rigging. Aguero too was off target, as Busquets, lacking the support in defence of midfield companions Gomes and Rakitic, attempted to stabilise his back-four, which was resembling the scuffling insects beneath a lifted piece of rockery in my front garden, as it panicked from the counter-rushes. Obviously, with Messi and Neymar also vetoing backtracking as not parts of their remits, when Digne was caught too far forward, Barca really were threadbare at the back… A clumsy Busquets tackle on Silva provided De Bruyne with a free-kick chance after about 50 minutes and with Blues on one end of the defensive wall, indicating that the Belgian’s shot would surely go towards the upper right corner of the net, Ter Stegen oddly took a step to his right as the kick was struck, so that his weight was incompatible with a dive to his left. I still believe that his left hand might have stopped the shot but inexplicably, he shoved his right arm across his body to reach with that glove and thus failed to make the save. Oops…

TER STEGEN: UNCONVINCING...

Messi, ambivalent by this juncture, must have wondered why he had bothered to turn up at all and soon Sterling thought he had been tripped, grabbed the ball in both hands and then displayed the kind of tantrum befitting a Year 9 kid, who hadn’t been allowed to wear his shirt outside his trousers in class, yet Sterling wasn’t shown a second yellow card. Consistency in refereeing had again reared its head and this Hungarian chap in charge had played NO added time at the end of the opening half, despite numerous stoppages and a long Barca goal celebration…

THE GLOVE-LESS MESSI...

Aguero beat Mascherano in the air and his header was close but this highlighted the guests’ lack of height in both end-zones, thus they had no aerial attacking threat and a real defensive aerial weakness but Kolarov escaped a caution for a loose arm, before Busquets’ three quick fouls saw him escape a booking too, incredibly. He would right that wrong in due course. Neymar continued to fizz not very occasionally, like a spasmodic Catherine wheel spluttering on a damp garden fence and still he hugged the left touchline, where his marker liked him to be trapped and in truth, Zabaleta wasn’t often tested.

NEYMAR: MARSHALLED WELL BY CITY...

Suarez continued to thunder about like a snarling mastiff in a dog-pound but he was unable to bite City where it really mattered. 2-1 down, it was Umtiti who offered Barca some stabilisation in defence, surprisingly, yet with only Gomes offering any real creativity in midfield, Rakitic was curiously replaced by Turan, with the frustrated in-form Rafinha clawing at his trap to be unleashed. Turan, lacking even Rakitic’s pace and moving about the field, head back, like he is searching for his wife’s mother at a crowded car-boot sale, achieved next to nought and indeed when Gomes eventually made way for Rafinha, the substitution came too late for the Brazilian midfielder.

SUAREZ: SUCH A COMPETITOR...

Turan cannot claim an assist for Barca’s best second-half opportunity though, for he was dispossessed by Stones around the half-way line and the England defender’s Roberto-esque pass back towards Caballero, whose kicking was not good all evening, set Suarez galloping away and Gomes lashed a 15 yard drive against the City crossbar. A Turan error led to a measured De Bruyne shot wide, a Neymar loss of possession occurred and then another mistake by Roberto led to De Bruyne’s pass for Zabaleta being intercepted by the offside Sterling and although his shot was probably touched by Ter Stegen, Sterling’s lack of awareness showed. Indeed, in the first-half, he was beaten by Digne’s run up the touchline but annoyed the City fans by his inability to chase back effectively…

ROBERTO: HIS HALLOWEEN HORRORS CAME A NIGHT TOO LATE...

It simply had to be Messi who lost possession to set Manchester on offense to score a third goal, which did seem rather controversial. De Bruyne, more effective centrally and indeed more effective than any on his team, set the move off and replacement Navas was onside as his low centre beat Ter Stegen and saw Aguero slide in close to the far post with the frustrated Mascherano. Somehow though the ball struck the Argentinian’s forearm and rolled backwards as he tensed on the ground in typical volleyball ‘bump’ pass mode, his arms in front of his body and the wily Gundogan was on hand to smash the rebound into the vacant net.

BUSQUETS: GREAT PLAYER BUT ONLY SATISFIED WHEN FINALLY CAUTIONED...

The goalscorer looked about as if unsure that the goal would stand, interestingly, Busquets of course complained bitterly to make sure he received his due caution and Barca, beaten, kept possession for a short while and a Messi head-onto-shoulder nudge was easily fielded by Caballero, who also flicked a corner away. The mechanical Messi was again only seemingly effective when someone wound up his virtual key, but Gundogan and De Bruyne had exploited the midfield gaps afforded by skipper Messi’s team-mates’ blunders to some effect, despite Sterling’s inability to really boss Digne on the flank. Aguero’s continuing guile was so integral to City’s win however, a trait Sterling lacked… The Blues looked a threat in attack, countering Barca’s losses of possession but the Spanish Champions fielded such a fine attacking trio, yet produced, well, er, not much… The referee added only three minutes of overtime to the second period, which was again remarkable, considering the City goal celebrations and the Barca complaints following Gundogan’s second strike, never mind the usual stoppages for free-kicks, injuries and substitutions…

CATHERINE WHEEL?
NOT QUITE...

Barca’s style of play wasn’t conducive to recovery, as their few threats late on proved, for Neymar so rarely headed for the byeline on the left and Roberto hadn’t the speed to do so on the right, although Digne ought to have been the option on the inconsistent Neymar’s wing. The unsettled Digne wasn’t used in that manner however and ‘direct’ was not an option for the Spanish outfit, even when they trailed by two.

City deserved the victory but really, the two goalkeepers only made one meaningful save each: Caballero’s from Neymar and a comfortable early catch by Ter Stegen from Aguero’s well struck 25 yarder.

Luis Enrique is an interesting coach but his attacking trio make his team appear top-heavy sometimes, especially when his midfield is bereft of Iniesta and his defence lacks the strength of Pique and the recovery speed of Alba. His goalkeeper really hasn’t impressed very often in truth and the Manager’s inability, or unwillingness to tinker with the strike-force, or indeed the tactical blend of the forwards, might cost him dearly this season. Or perhaps he is prohibited from altering his goalscoring three…

However, the cutting out of miscalculations in Barcelona’s defensive passing is surely down to the players, whose over-elaboration has been pressed by opponents more readily recently and as a coach, Enrique will only be able to display some innovative credentials by finding a counter-pressure ploy. After all, that’s what he’s paid for, not only to look thoroughly puzzled when his team concedes a goal…

Me? I’d been told that I would never see Messi score live.