PSG wreaks havoc on Barcelona
On Valentine’s Day (in the USA at least) Barcelona suffered a defeat that is pretty much unexplainable as it doesn’t happen often. I wish I had the words to express why Barcelona came out flat footed, lethargic and as if all 11 starters on the field had eaten Chipotle burritos before heading out to the field. But I really can’t. All I can say is that the Barcelona staff and especially coach Enrique will have a very bad week and weekend trying to explain to the upper management and ownership why the team had such a rough start to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Once Enrique can get past the why, he will then have to explain how he believes he can lead the team to overcome such a deficit in the second leg. Something very difficult to do on paper as Barcelona will have to score 4 and not allow any from PSG. Given the fact that its possible because Barcelona does have the fire power to pull off such an assignment. However if PSG comes out as they did today, that is to play with high intensity for 90 minutes, Barcelona is in for another disappointment.
If you have seen any of the goals you should check them out below, as all 4 of them are quite amazing. It really did take all of 11 players on PSG to work together and believe in the same strategy of pressing in the middle and taking advantage of balls won.
My favorite goal was the forth goal by Edinson Cavani. How dare Cavani strike the ball without even the need to control it with not even a feather like touch. And to watch in slow motion that through ball passing several Barcelona defenders was like watching music notes come out of the New York symphony. To top it off or the icing on the cake was Cavani’s strike which was nothing less than impeccable. It would have taken 3 goalies to stop that one. One to hold Cavani’s left leg, a second to hold his right leg, and the third to jump on top of the ball as if a solider falling on an infamous grenade. Truly a strike of top class.
Lastly, this post wouldn’t be complete without praising Angel Di Maria for not only his two goals, but for his ability to bring so much creativity on the pitch. Again, his passing today was something to watch and drool over as his ability to place balls in tight spaces was on point today. It was such a pleasure to finally see his high level of play and for him to be so successful against what is normally a dominant Barcelona. If PSG commits to this type of play with all games moving forward they could be a force to be reckoned with. Only time will tell but this first step clearly shows us PSG is coming for the cup.
Fun Fact: Both Angel Di Maria and Edinson Cavani celebrated their birthdays on this day.
