Fuck me. Did you REALLY need to go in for that tackle Demichelis? Really? That was the moment that City will look back and say that is where they lost this tie. Before that tackle, City looked good to maybe sneak a goal because Barcelona were not interested in doing any real penetrating. It was all pass, pass and pass while you could see City just waiting and getting ready to pounce. Then fucking Demichelis who actually played OKAY, but should NOT have been playing made the decision that cost City this entire tie.
Why didn't Pellegrini go with the winning formula that worked SO WELL against Chelsea? Why not play with two strikers but keep that tough defensive workrate? Why play DEMICHELIS IN DEFENCE OVER A PROVEN DEFENDER LIKE LESCOTT? What does Pellegrini see in this dude that we all don't see. He is talented, but he just isn't reliable enough to be A CENTRAL DEFENDER. You had to feel sorry for Kompany who was one of the best players on that pitch and worked like a damn dog, only to be let down by a CRAZY decision by Demichelis to go lunging in for that tackle.
That right there was pretty much the match. That moment. Barcelona did not really look like scoring before, and EVEN WITH A MAN UP, they seemed very ordinary and have digressed quite some way since years gone by. Kompany was totally right that they were there for the taking, and even with a man down, Nasri and Silva had GREAT opportunities to get themselves back in the game.
I was not impressed at all with Barcelona. I've always been one of their greatest enemies, but now I think their brand of football is just ridiculous. Without the sharpness and guile of Iniesta, Barcelona seemed out of ideas and EXTREMELY boring to watch. They completely sucked the life out of the game, and did very little with the ball. Really, how many shots did Hart have to save. Just two moments, the Demichelis tackle that was OUTSIDE the box, and Clichy's crazy defending that let in Alves for the finish. If City had not made those mistakes, I'm not sure what Martino could have really done to ignite a team that are actually more in need of Iniesta and a fully fit Neymar than Messi. As amazing is Lionel is, the issue is he is reliant on Xavi....AS WELL as Iniesta. That attacking dynamism was lost in this match, but maybe it will erupt in the second leg.
HH
