PlayBeautiful

The Takeaway: Barcelona vs. Milan (Champions League)

E.H. Chapin once said, “the best men are not those who have waited for chances, but who have taken them,—besieged the chance, conquered  the chance, and made the chance their servitor.” 

It was a clash of epic proportions at Camp Nou. The scene was set, but the script was yet to be written. Barcelona were 2 goals down courtesy of their prior defeat at San Siro. Many believed Barça were not the team they once were. Teams in the Champions League had figured out the formula to break down Barcelona’s tiki-taka style of play. Did the Blaugrana really have something to prove to their critics? Had they really fallen back to earth exposing a more vulnerable side?

Right off the bat, we saw Milan were playing deep and Barça were looking far too comfortable on the ball. If you give Barcelona players a little room to breathe, they pounce. In the first 5 minutes alone, Messi showed just how little space he needs to operate. There were defenders surrounding Messi, but he used the slightest space to swing in a goal past Abbiati. This first goal of the night was unexpected and set the tone for the evening. Just minutes later, El Shaarawy was given a chance of his own, but to no avail. El Shaaraway was having somewhat of an off night. He displayed great pace by outrunning Barça’s backline, but lacked finishing. We could’ve seen better from him overall because his shots were far from convincing.

Even with the likes of El Shaarawy, Boateng, and Niang playing up front, Milan were missing the presence of Giampaolo Pazzini. Pazzini didn’t feature for the Rossoneri due to a micro fracture in his calf bone. Boateng was used as a false #9, but it was nothing close to what Pazzini could have offered. Pazzini would’ve been a point of reference with his physical play up top. Milan were hesitant in attack and you could sense it. They were simply not able to hold the ball up front. There were a couple of instances where Flamini was the closest one to goal. At one point, Niang and Boateng even switched positions as per Allegri’s orders.

“One goal. Just one goal.” This was the unanimous chant of Milanisti. One goal could have been that deciding factor to completely change the game around. In the 38th minute, it was Niang with notably the biggest chance of the game. Niang was not able to capitalize on a long ball causing his shot to hit the bottom of the post. If the goal went in, would it have saved Milan? Let’s not forget Niang is only 18 years old. This miss does not take away from the quality player he could be in the future.

There were key differences between the match played at San Siro and the one at Camp Nou. At San Siro, Milan played more as a cohesive unit. Not only did the defense work hard to close down gaps, but they hushed Messi’s goal-scoring ability in the process. Barça were the ones with the missed chances and not enough pressure. However, it was a different story at Camp Nou. Barcelona came with a full-force of energy that Milan had previously shown. The Rossoneri were one team on the field, but did not play as one unit. Milan were not able to contain Messi like they did in the first leg. The Argentine had gone invisible in Italy, but he was dangerously alive and present in Spain.

The biggest takeaway from this match was that Barça had far too much possession. This comes as no surprise. With a firm grasp on possession, Barça showcased their vision to make confident plays. Thus, creating more chances in the final 3rd. This was something a relatively inexperienced Milan side couldn’t deal with. We saw reckless challenges, a hard time picking out passes, and overall poor ball control.

The bottom line: everything that could’ve went wrong for Milan, went wrong and everything that could’ve went right for Barcelona, went right. I didn’t see hunger from Milan tonight, but what I did see was  bigger than that. I saw the promise of a young side that will step up as a force to be reckoned with in years to come. The rebuilding starts now for Milan. The Rossoneri should walk away with their heads held high and morph this defeat into a learning experience. Using the gracious words of Alessandro Nesta after Milan’s loss to Barcelona last year, “we were unlucky to get Barcelona in the draw," he said. "But at least we know we are bowing out against the best in the world.”

Written by: Goral Patel

Follow me on Twitter: @goralpatel 

FT: Barcelona 4-0 Milan (Aggregate 4-2)

Goals:
5’ - Lionel Messi
39’ - Lionel Messi
55’ - David Villa
90’ - Jordi Alba