Lionel Messi and his brilliance against Manchester City

Lionel Messi after scoring the first goal against Manchester City

Manchester City suffered a 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter at the Etihad Stadium.

Martin Demichelis was dismissed on 53 minutes for pulling down Lionel Messi as the four-time World Player of the Year raced through on goal, but the Blues were dealt a double blow as the referee also pointed to the penalty spot.

Messi dusted himself down to convert from the penalty spot, before Daniel Alves added what could prove to be a crucial second for the Catalan giants in the final minute of the 90.

Key Stats

Barcelona absolutely dominated possession in this match, registering an incredible 61% share of possession. Gerardo Martino’s side accumulated a staggering 780 passes with eight of the club’s eleven starting players recording an accuracy of 90% or higher. Manchester City completed just 306 passes all evening.

Despite such comfort with the ball, the Catalan’s failed to register as many shots at goal as some might expect. The away side registering just ten attempts with four hitting the intended target. City, on the other hand, managed nine, with three proving accurate.

Defensively City’s statistics look the more impressive, but this is no surprise when considering Barcelona’s dominance. Pellegrini’s side found success in 13 tackles and 23 interceptions, compared to the visitors seven and 12, respectively.

Man of the Match

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi scooped the evening’s man of the match award after inspiring Barca to a comprehensive away win.

It was a credit to the Blues’ rear-guard that Messi had been virtually anonymous as the teams went in 0-0 at the break – not that anyone believed he wouldn’t spring to life at some point. After a fairly meager first half display, the Argentine appeared all guns blazing for the second 45 minutes, eventually recording a performance score of 83 points.

He found himself in the thick of the action, attempting six shots in total. His goal finally came in the 53rd minute after he burst past a shaky Martin Demichelis, before being brought down to earn himself a penalty. He despatched the spot kick with ease to give the Catalans a 1-0 lead.

He proved a nuisance throughout the second half and, as usual, he was not afraid to try and create a spark when on the ball. During this period he dominated the central channel, completing four take ons and 75 passes.

Performance Score

The Squawka Performance Graph demonstrates the general pattern we witnessed throughout the entirety of the match. Despite a strong challenge from City, Barcelona were comfortable from start to finish and essentially the 2-0 score line proved a fair reflection of the Catalan’s overall superiority.

After a shaky start City were gradually able to grow in confidence, but the Blues were penned back in their own half for much of the match, seemingly content to try and catch the Catalans on the break.

City recorded a final performance score of just 16 points, compared to the visitor’s total of 462.

Key Observations

City had set up well in an attempt to soak up Barcelona pressure and catch them on the break but the task proved beyond them after the opening goal in the second half. Pellegrini sprang one selection surprise by selecting Aleksandar Kolarov on the left of midfield whilst opting for a 4-5-1 formation with Alvaro Negredo leading the team as the lone striker.

The host’s system appeared strong and, despite being dominated in possession, they matched Barca territorially and were superior in terms of physicality. Up until the 53rd minute Pellegrini’s side seemed in contention, especially considering the number of fantastic chances they had to score.

However, the turning point came with Martin Demichelis’ dismissal. It is fair to say the Argentine did not exactly answer his critics on Tuesday night, or confound those who questioned his inclusion in the starting line-up for City’s biggest match of the season.

The 33-year-old was ran ragged all evening and his inadequacies were finally revealed as he brought compatriot Lionel Messi down in (or, arguably just outside) the penalty area.

His subsequent sending off changed the match in its entirety as the hosts were forced to press on with ten men. Pellegrini attempted to give his wide players the freedom to attack Barca for the remainder of the match but this caused further problems, opening up space for the Catalan’s pass masters to punish any space between the midfield and defence.

Martino’s side looked good value for their lead, with Dani Alves’ late goal securing a comfortable victory. The visitors managed seven of their 10 attempts during the final 37 minutes of the match – a statistic that reflects just how open the match became.