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Barcelona edged one step closer to the knockout stages in the UEFA Champions League after goals from Rafinha and Jordi Alba earnt them a comfortable victory over Inter Milan at the Nou Camp.
Barca dominated the proceedings from the outset and took the lead in the 32nd minute through Rafinha. A delightful through ball from Luis Suarez found the Brazilian in the box and he volleyed it past Samir Handanovic in the Inter goal.
In the second half, their dominance in possession continued. They were rewarded for their persistent pressure seven minutes from time when Alba raced through to put the match out of sight for the home side.
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Here are five talking points that arose from the group stage match at the Nou Camp:
#1 Suarez shines in Messi’s absence
At the weekend against Sevilla, Lionel Messi fell awkwardly and fractured the radial bone in his right arm. That therefore immediately ruled him out for both tonight’s match against Inter and this weekend’s El Clasico.
With any injury to Messi, there is obviously increased pressure on Barcelona’s other forwards to perform in his absence. Over a third of Barcelona's goals in all competitions this season have been scored by the Argentinian, so with him missing, it was always going to be difficult for Barcelona to produce the same numbers that they usually do.
However tonight it was almost like they didn’t need him, because Suarez was brilliant in his absence.
His feint touches, flicks and body movement with the ball were simply phenomenal on a night when he needed to be at his best. Additionally, he linked up superbly with both Rafinha and Philippe Coutinho and that showed with his inch-perfect through ball for the opening goal.
Picking the ball up from Rafinha, he sliced across his pass and weighted it perfectly over the head of the back-tracking Milan Skriniar to find Rafinha, who volleyed it into the bottom corner.
Unfortunately, all his performance was missing was a goal. But even without it, it was obvious the impact the striker had on the game and how important he was to Barcelona winning a crucial game in their aim to top their group.
#2 Rafinha decision pays off
With Messi being out, it seemed inevitable the hosts would lineup with Coutinho on the left, Ousmane Dembele on the right, and Suarez through the middle.
But Valverde saw it differently and opted to start Rafinha on the right, to the surprise of everyone before the game. In 11 outings this season, Dembele has scored five goals in all competitions. However, Valverde chose to look past Dembele’s goals and played Rafinha, who looked to be on his way out of the club in the summer.
Although he only managed to play 18 games in his last season for Barcelona two years ago, Rafinha scored six goals and impressed whenever he was given an opportunity. Yet that still did not convince Valverde as he decided to send him on loan to, guess who, Inter Milan, for the whole of the 2017/18 season.
With that loan move, it looked like his time at the Nou Camp was up, but this summer he returned and was kept in the squad by the Barca boss. Tonight he was given the chance to repay the faith Valverde put in him to both keep him and to start him in a big game with Messi missing, and he did just that.
In the first half, he was absolutely instrumental to every Barcelona attack and had two efforts, admittedly weak ones, saved by Handanovic. Then, with Barca going frustrated, he finally struck with a much stronger effort and beat the Inter goalkeeper to give his side the lead.
It seemed a bizarre decision to leave Dembele out with Barca requiring as much creativity as possible, but Rafinha more than made it up for it with his goal and his performance.
#3 Handanovic is Inter’s star man
Arguably, if it wasn’t for Handanovic being as impressive as he was tonight, Barcelona could have won by several more. The shot-stopper made countless saves to keep Barcelona out and keep his side in it at 1-0 right up until the 83rd minute when Alba got the home side’s second.
He scored an 8.3 rating on WhoScored, missing out on the man of the match only to Ivan Rakitic, showing just how good his performance was on the night. His performance included nine saves to keep out the hosts and a 75% pass accuracy, which was quite good considering the home side’s press and Inter’s inability to keep the ball.
So far this season, the goalkeeper has averaged a 7.44 rating, the highest of any Inter Milan player. He continued that sort of from tonight and was once again Inter’s best player on the pitch, as he did his best to keep his side in with a chance of at least a point.
Although his team were unable to reward him for his great saves with a goal at the other end of the pitch, Handanovic should be pleased with his performance and Inter should be delighted they have him as their number one.
#4 Could Arthur fill the void left by Xavi?
Since Xavi’s departure, Barcelona have found it extremely difficult to control games as much as they did when they operated with a three-man midfield of Sergio Busquets, Xavi, and Andres Iniesta.
However, Arthur who arrived this summer looks to have finally ended a long wait to find a suitable replacement for Xavi. It may be early days, but so far the midfielder’s ability to dictate games already suggests how good he could become for Barcelona in the future.
Like he was away at Tottenham in the last Champions League fixture, Arthur was extremely impressive once again in midfield and boasted a 95% pass accuracy against Inter. Borja Valero barely touched the ball due to the Brazilian’s persistence and willingness to receive and search for the ball so often in midfield. It was a performance way beyond the 22-year-old’s years, especially playing in central midfield alongside Busquets and Rakitic and at one of the most prestigious clubs in world football.
Valverde’s decision to remove the midfielder for Arturo Vidal was met by a chorus of boos from the home faithful, illustrating just how good they think the summer signing is and how good his performance was tonight.
#5 Icardi fails to avenge his old club
Tonight presented a fantastic opportunity for serial goalscorer Mauro Icardi to take revenge on the club that let him leave before he played a professional appearance for the Catalan giants.
The poacher had a difficult chance, but one he would usually take advantage of, in the first half as a low cross from Ivan Perisic found him in front of an outstretched Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. However, he could only chip the ball over the goalkeeper top of the bar.
Minutes later he then raced through on goal as he turned defender Clement Lenglet, but the center-back recovered and Icardi ended up slipping to the floor as he failed to beat the defender with a piece of skill.
From then on, the night became even harder and frustrating for the forward, who had no more chances of note. Inter had very little of the possession and it made it difficult for the Argentinian to get in the game at all.
They were difficult opportunities, but if he had taken either of those chances he had in the first half, who knows what the score may have been, and Icardi may have been able to show his old side what they were missing out on.
