Luis Enrique v Pep Guardiola. The glittering trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar (nicknamed MSN) against Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Nolito, FC Barcelona v Barca Lite — this could well have been a rapturous night of inflated do-or-die football at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in June 2017. As it was, FC Barcelona hosted Manchester City in a gala night of sophisticated group phase action on Wednesday, and not in the final.
That blue riband match is the target of both clubs this season. Barcelona want a restoration of the natural football hierarchy. For Manchester City, the Champions League final would represent a seminal moment and a watershed achievement — a petrodollar-infused club with their darling coach on top of Europe, finally fulfilling their ambitions. Last season, they fell at the ultimate hurdle, against a classier and more cohesive Real Madrid. It was the first time that City had made the last four.
A step further, the final — and City may well have emulated FC Barcelona. That’s been City’s obsession for years: Barcelona was and remains the gold standard. City strived to reach the top with the Barcelona blueprint. In came Ferran Soriano, the former Barcelona vice president, in came Txiki Begiristain as their new director of football. Guardiola was the missing puzzle in City’s grand plan, a sabbatical in the United States and a stint at Bayern Munich explaining his delayed arrival.
Pep’s litmus test
The Spaniard was acquired to execute a sole task: guide City to the Champions League final and win it. City’s reasoning is simple — domestic dominion is interesting, but, not entirely paramount. European success is the true measure of a top club, not glory at home — ask Paris Saint-Germain who have increasingly become a forlorn caricature. The Parisians, boosted by plenty of gas riches, have nothing left to conquer at home, but perpetually fail on the continental scene.
And so, for Guardiola, the encounter with his former club was his first litmus test with City. Could the English match Barcelona? That was the burning question. Guardiola was prepared to answer it, without the inferiority complex that so often accompanies teams visiting the Nou Camp. The Spaniard wanted to play Barcelona toe-to-toe.
He had tried to do that on his last visit to Barcelona as opposition coach in May 2015. Guardiola started with a Bayern Munich back three of Rafinha, Medhi Benatia and Jerome Boateng in a peculiar 3-5-2 system. He stuck to it for the first 15 minutes, a bold move against the potent MSN trio. What it did, however, was to give Munich a chance to settle in the game and not drown in Barcelona’s early “all-court, all-press” play.
Against Everton in the weekend where City drew 1-1 in another wobble in a mini-run of disappointing results, Guardiola had played a three-men defence for the first time with City, but as the team-sheet emerged in Barcelona, the surprise was up front. Sergio Aguero was benched and Kevin De Bruyne began up front, somewhere in a role between a false nine and a real striker. De Bruyne also needed to man the midfield and offer support. Furthermore, City tried to apply constant pressure on Barcelona’s midfielders, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta.
Falling away right from the beginning
Midway in the first half, the first signs of “pressing” fatigue were discernible among City’s players as they chased the ball and Barcelona’s possession. By then, the hosts had already taken the lead courtesy of a slapstick Lionel Messi goal in the 17th minute. Aleksandar Kolarov was caught out on the left and Fernandinho made an unfortunate slip inside the box. The diminutive Argentine duly obliged.
City should have been the team causing danger, with Barcelona’s makeshift defence. Javier Mascherano played as a right back and both Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique hobbled off the pitch with injuries before the break. Nolito mustered a predictable attempt from a tight angle and John Stones should have scored from a set piece with a free header. Marc-André ter Stegen saved superbly from Ilkay Gundogan.
Not at a given moment were City composed or measured. As in previous European seasons, they, again, were a nervous debutante at a lush ball. City were disorderly, but, above all, simply not at Barcelona’s level. If Guardiola erred by not fielding Aguero, his defence offered little resistance, started shakily and totally disintegrated after goalkeeper Bravo’s clumsy red card. The Chilean did little to justify Guardiola’s aversion for Joe Hart.
Mercilessly, Messi punished City’s defensive shoddiness, their lack of cohesion at times, embarrassing. De Bruyne was dispossessed for the second goal, and Gundogan and Stones failed to communicate when Messi completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute. The rest of the game was academic: Jérémy Mathieu’s sending off, Aguero’s late presence, Neymar’s missed penalty and his redemptive goal. The scoreline reflected the gulf in class and refinement between the two clubs, but Guardiola has time on his side. Come the end of the season, City’s coach may have recalibrated the balance of power.