Hello friends, positive vibes to everyone.
Yesterday at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium, one of the most anticipated matches since the draw took place was played. Barcelona were looking for revenge after their defeat two years ago, while PSG wanted to maintain their dominance against one of their fiercest rivals in recent years. However, the match was bound to be different, as both clubs were suffering from a spate of injuries: Barcelona were without (Joan García, Gavi, Fermín, and Raphinha), while PSG were missing (Doué, Dembélé, Marquinhos, Kvaratskhelia, and João Neves). This undoubtedly suggested that we would see a very different match from the one played last time.
On paper, and in my opinion, Barcelona had a slightly better squad. It's true that the vast majority of their players came through the La Masia academy, but that doesn't diminish their overall quality. I felt PSG were a bit of an unknown quantity, especially since they were missing their star attacking trio. That could have been a major blow for another team, but with Luis Enrique's side, it wasn't quite so critical; they played a fairly decent game considering the players they had on the pitch. The first half was a very good 45 minutes, with chances for both teams; it was an open game, with both teams sharing control and attacking opportunities. Ferran Torres' goal came at the perfect time for Barcelona, while Mukiele's goal came at the perfect time for PSG.
But even in the first half, there were already some signs that could prove decisive in the second. Personally, I thought Barcelona looked really tired yesterday; in the second half, they were completely out of sorts, and I think those were some of the worst 45 minutes of the Flick era. If we add to that the fact that Pedri was effectively neutralized by Vitinha for almost the entire match, and that Lamine Yamal practically disappeared from the game, then the result was almost inevitable. I was very surprised by the physical condition of the Spanish players; one might think that if this were the end of the season, it would be more understandable, but at this stage of the season, just after seven matchdays of La Liga, it's worrying. Of course, all of this is cumulative, as evidenced by the injuries, but the reality is that I saw a team that was clearly weakened.
For its part, PSG also fielded a team of mostly substitutes, as already mentioned, but the key difference was once again their physical strength. The French team was much more robust, pressed higher up the field, and defended more aggressively, and this ultimately tipped the scales in their favor, leading to Gonçalo Ramos's goal in stoppage time. That was a real blow, a cold shower, which I don't think the Blaugrana (Barcelona) expected. With the score tied and given the circumstances, they were quite content with the draw. It's also worth noting that the performance of a couple of PSG players contributed to this outcome. Nuno Mendes and Vitinha were outstanding, especially the left-back, who, without a doubt, is currently the best in the world at his position.
In the end, Luis Enrique managed to win another very tough match, despite the pre-match predictions. Even with the substitutions he made, he injected more dynamism into the team. Ramos's introduction was to target the goal, Lucas Hernández's was to shift Nuno Mendes's position and thus prevent him from receiving a second yellow card for marking Lamine Yamal so closely, and Kang-in Lee's was to provide some relief on the right flank, as the South Korean player is truly dangerous down that side—as he demonstrated in the minutes he was on the pitch. There were several factors at play, but I think these were the most significant in explaining the Parisian victory or the Catalan defeat, depending on how you look at it. Obviously, this doesn't decide anything yet; we're only two matchdays into the Champions League, so there's a long way to go. If both clubs had had their full squads available, would we have seen a different match? – clearly, yes. Well done to PSG for standing their ground and ultimately winning; Barcelona needs to reflect on this and hope that no more injuries occur.
¡Un abrazo a todos, nos leemos en la próxima!
Well, that's all for today, folks. I hope you enjoyed it.
¡Take care everyone, see you next time!