Manchester City 3 Barcelona 1 analysis: Pep Guardiola proves there is a way to humble big-spending Barca
Premier League side finally put one over the club that has provided the template for City’s entire project
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ALL the money in the world could never buy Lionel Messi.
But ask any Manchester City fan and no amount of cash could give them the happiness they felt last night.
As they finally put one over the club that has provided the template for City’s entire project.
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Despite a blatant refereeing howler that went against them.
Despite falling behind to a wondergoal from the world’s greatest footballer.
In the end, this was not about money. It was about pride, passion, precision — and Pep Guardiola.
We associate City with spending big. Yet Barcelona have still spent a jaw-dropping £385milliion since Guardiola left four years ago.
To sign superstars like Luis Suarez for £75m, of course, and Neymar, whose fee ranges from £49m, the original figure Barca gave before revising it upwards to at least £78m.
And that excludes fines and legal fees that run into the tens of millions for the Brazilian’s controversial switch from Santos.
While it looked for all the world that Messi would make the difference yet again last night, this time City AND Guardiola had the answers.
And that despite ref Viktor Kassai denying City an early penalty when Samuel Umtiti clearly stepped on Raheem Sterling and brought him down in the box.
A booking for Sterling for a dive was nothing short of scandalous.
Kassai was also the ref in THAT Champions League final at Wembley when Barca floated like butterflies and stung like bees, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United battered and bruised.
A lot has changed since then. Xavi went to Qatar and David Villa went to the US. Pedro came to Chelsea.
But we remain with the impression that Barca do not change. Well, they do.
They have changed. Massively. They’re no longer the beauty of a team they were under Pep.
Now they kill you with their super Trident — or “el Tridente” — of Messi, Neymar and Suarez.
Seven of the stars that started last night came in after Pep left in the summer of 2012.
So the Catalan giants may boast the greatest player that ever lived and some of the most incredible homegrown stars but they have never stopped spending loads of money.
To match City, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and, of course, Real Madrid.
On top of that, they spend more on salaries than any other club on the planet with their president Josep Maria Bartomeu admitting they are breaking Financial Fair Play rules that cap player wages at 65 per cent of income.
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Last summer Barca won La Liga and the Copa del Rey and went on another spending spree.
Andre Gomes (£41.7m) and Paco Alcacer (£25.5m) both came from Valencia.
Gomes missed a sitter to level in the second half, striking the bar in front of an empty net.
Up went City and Ilkay Gundogan slammed the third to secure this historic victory.
Yes, Barca sorely missed the injured Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and the legend Andres Iniesta.
But Messi was there. And his opener was simply unforgettable.
The Catalans seemed to take their foot off the gas. And if City were the architects of their own demise at the Nou Camp two weeks ago, this time Barca shot themselves in the foot.
A game they controlled turned when Sergi Roberto gave it away and Sergio Aguero found Sterling, who set up Gundogan for the leveller.
And it felt like justice was done when Kevin De Bruyne, who came at what many thought was a ludicrous £54million fee from Wolfsburg, put them ahead with a sweet free-kick.
Gundogan rounded things off and gave City breathing space for the last quarter of an hour.
Barcelona had 65 per cent possession. But if anything, that shows Pep CAN mix it up when he needs to. He gave Barca the ball and still, at last, he won.
More importantly, City have got the points that put them back in the hunt for a place in the second round.
Had they lost they would have been in danger of going out.
Now they proved to the world they can beat Barca.
But more importantly, they have proved it to themselves.