Style of play
Right from the kick-off, Barcelona held onto the ball with far more energy and precision in their passing than Madrid. On the rare occasion where they lost the ball, they were exceptional in pressuring for it back, and more often than not, they had the ball back at their feet within seconds after losing it.
Another thing I noticed was whenever a Barcelona player had the ball at their feet, two to three of their teammates were within about 8 yards, offering multiple avenues for a pass, and as soon as the pass is made, that player become one of the possible recipients for the next pass.
Some of the stuff was magical, with link-up play between Messi and Villa a highlight on he left of the pitch. A number of times, there were backheels met with backheels which were just as easily-received as a side-footed pass to feet at any other club, something that just shouldn't be possible, and definitely wouldn't be anywhere other than Barcelona.
Regardless of whether you believe our Premier League to be the best, you cannot deny that no team in England is capable of playing in the manner expressed by Barcelona tonight. People say Arsenal are the pioneers of 'Total Football' in this country, but they fall incredibly short of being anywhere near what was on display tonight. There really is a huge gulf in class between Barcelona and the rest of the world when it comes to playing football in what has come to be perceived as a 'pure' manner.
Ronaldo v Messi
While Messi will be praised as a hero after tonight's performance, there will be no such roar of approval for his Madrid counterpart tonight. While Ronaldo didn't have a 'poor performance' by definition, his team's destruction at the hands of their arch-rivals will be the only memory imprinted on the minds of the traveling support, as well as the countless others watching on television.
Barcelona, by comparison, have much to thank their trickster for. Responsible for setting up two of the goals directly, and being involved in two others, Messi truly ran the show today, which is a remarkable feat even for one of his talents when you look at his co-hosts in the forward and midfield areas of the pitch.
Unfortunately, for all the good, there was some bad. It seemed every time Messi was touched by someone in a white shirt, and he knew it would benefit his team, he would crumple like wet toilet paper, however; he remained strangely resilient when he wanted to be, usually with the Madrid defenders on the back foot with him running flat-out on goal.
Refereeing & Controversy
Some neutral fans may have watched the Tottenham v Liverpool game and thought that the referee gave us a number of decisions over the course of the 90 minutes. Well, I experienced that feeling today whilst watching this match, as Barcelona won every instance without much deliberation, and when the decision was slightly trickier to make, the players and home support would smother the referee with both physical presence and voice. Admittedly, the decision to send Sergio Ramos off in the dying seconds was the correct call, it also tied in nicely with keeping on side with the Nou Camp.
Take nothing away from Catalans though; they were truly exceptional tonight. For a side that had a total of 5 chances on target to score 5 quality goals against a team of Madrid's calibre, that really is no mean feat. Can their opposition bounce back at the Bernabeau when Barcelona come knocking?
Right from the kick-off, Barcelona held onto the ball with far more energy and precision in their passing than Madrid. On the rare occasion where they lost the ball, they were exceptional in pressuring for it back, and more often than not, they had the ball back at their feet within seconds after losing it.
Another thing I noticed was whenever a Barcelona player had the ball at their feet, two to three of their teammates were within about 8 yards, offering multiple avenues for a pass, and as soon as the pass is made, that player become one of the possible recipients for the next pass.
Some of the stuff was magical, with link-up play between Messi and Villa a highlight on he left of the pitch. A number of times, there were backheels met with backheels which were just as easily-received as a side-footed pass to feet at any other club, something that just shouldn't be possible, and definitely wouldn't be anywhere other than Barcelona.
Regardless of whether you believe our Premier League to be the best, you cannot deny that no team in England is capable of playing in the manner expressed by Barcelona tonight. People say Arsenal are the pioneers of 'Total Football' in this country, but they fall incredibly short of being anywhere near what was on display tonight. There really is a huge gulf in class between Barcelona and the rest of the world when it comes to playing football in what has come to be perceived as a 'pure' manner.
Ronaldo v Messi
While Messi will be praised as a hero after tonight's performance, there will be no such roar of approval for his Madrid counterpart tonight. While Ronaldo didn't have a 'poor performance' by definition, his team's destruction at the hands of their arch-rivals will be the only memory imprinted on the minds of the traveling support, as well as the countless others watching on television.
Barcelona, by comparison, have much to thank their trickster for. Responsible for setting up two of the goals directly, and being involved in two others, Messi truly ran the show today, which is a remarkable feat even for one of his talents when you look at his co-hosts in the forward and midfield areas of the pitch.
Unfortunately, for all the good, there was some bad. It seemed every time Messi was touched by someone in a white shirt, and he knew it would benefit his team, he would crumple like wet toilet paper, however; he remained strangely resilient when he wanted to be, usually with the Madrid defenders on the back foot with him running flat-out on goal.
Refereeing & Controversy
Some neutral fans may have watched the Tottenham v Liverpool game and thought that the referee gave us a number of decisions over the course of the 90 minutes. Well, I experienced that feeling today whilst watching this match, as Barcelona won every instance without much deliberation, and when the decision was slightly trickier to make, the players and home support would smother the referee with both physical presence and voice. Admittedly, the decision to send Sergio Ramos off in the dying seconds was the correct call, it also tied in nicely with keeping on side with the Nou Camp.
Take nothing away from Catalans though; they were truly exceptional tonight. For a side that had a total of 5 chances on target to score 5 quality goals against a team of Madrid's calibre, that really is no mean feat. Can their opposition bounce back at the Bernabeau when Barcelona come knocking?
