|
|
CL Comment: Barcelona On Another Planet, Inter Have No Chance Of Winning The Champions League
Carlo Garganese looks back at Barcelona’s dominant 2-0 win over Inter at Camp Nou tonight…
25-Nov-2009 4:00:11 AM
For those of you who are familiar with the American R&B artist Akon, you will be well aware that every song he makes always sounds the same. Watching Barcelona and Inter over the last few years has been like listening to a new Akon song, only that in the case of the Spaniards it is nearly always a pleasurable experience.
It was no different tonight at Camp Nou, as Inter managed to remind everyone why modern R&B as championed by Akon is such a horrible genre, and Barcelona showed us what real music sounds like.
The Nerazzurri were outplayed from start to finish by a Barcelona team missing their two biggest names in Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Blaugrana enjoyed 60 per cent of the possession, racked up 10 shots to Inter’s five and six corners to three, and played more than two thirds of the game in their opponents half.
These statistics, and perhaps the scoreline, would have looked far worse for Inter had Barcelona not taken their foot off the gas in the second half in preparation for this weekend’s Clasico against Real Madrid.
Iniesta ran the show along with Xavi
It took until the 35th minute for Inter to even attempt a shot, at which point the game was already over, while half time was just three minutes away when Victor Valdes finally had to make a routine save from Diego Milito. The Italians created virtually nothing all night, and only semi-troubled the Barca backline on a couple of occasions when Samuel Eto’o attempted to run through unsuccessfully.
Losing 2-0 at Camp Nou is no disgrace, and it must be taken into account that three-quarter link Wesley Sneijder was missing, but the difference in quality between Barcelona and Inter was overwhelming. You got the impression that if these two clubs were to play 100 times over two legs, Barcelona would win 99 of them.
Jose Mourinho even admitted after the game that there was a “huge gap” in class between the two teams, stressing “individual” talent as a big factor. The Portuguese is absolutely right as Inter have no one who can match the technical ability of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, who were unplayable at times along with blossoming youngster Pedro who scored perhaps goal of the night in Europe after a flowing one-touch team move.
Fortunately for Inter, the tie between Rubin Kazan and Dinamo Kiev means that they need only beat the former to guarantee qualification; or draw less than 2-2 providing that Barcelona do not lose to Dynamo. As for Barca, they will progress unless they lose to Dinamo by two goals or more.
It is highly likely that both Barcelona and Inter will now qualify for the next round, but based on tonight’s evidence the Beneamata’s chances of making any impact in the latter stages of the Champions League look very slim.
What are your views on tonight's game? Do you agree that Barcelona are on another planet to Inter, and that the Italians have no chance of winning the Champions League? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think...
Carlo Garganese, Goal.com
It was no different tonight at Camp Nou, as Inter managed to remind everyone why modern R&B as championed by Akon is such a horrible genre, and Barcelona showed us what real music sounds like.
The Nerazzurri were outplayed from start to finish by a Barcelona team missing their two biggest names in Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Blaugrana enjoyed 60 per cent of the possession, racked up 10 shots to Inter’s five and six corners to three, and played more than two thirds of the game in their opponents half.
These statistics, and perhaps the scoreline, would have looked far worse for Inter had Barcelona not taken their foot off the gas in the second half in preparation for this weekend’s Clasico against Real Madrid.
Iniesta ran the show along with Xavi
It took until the 35th minute for Inter to even attempt a shot, at which point the game was already over, while half time was just three minutes away when Victor Valdes finally had to make a routine save from Diego Milito. The Italians created virtually nothing all night, and only semi-troubled the Barca backline on a couple of occasions when Samuel Eto’o attempted to run through unsuccessfully.
Losing 2-0 at Camp Nou is no disgrace, and it must be taken into account that three-quarter link Wesley Sneijder was missing, but the difference in quality between Barcelona and Inter was overwhelming. You got the impression that if these two clubs were to play 100 times over two legs, Barcelona would win 99 of them.
Jose Mourinho even admitted after the game that there was a “huge gap” in class between the two teams, stressing “individual” talent as a big factor. The Portuguese is absolutely right as Inter have no one who can match the technical ability of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, who were unplayable at times along with blossoming youngster Pedro who scored perhaps goal of the night in Europe after a flowing one-touch team move.
Fortunately for Inter, the tie between Rubin Kazan and Dinamo Kiev means that they need only beat the former to guarantee qualification; or draw less than 2-2 providing that Barcelona do not lose to Dynamo. As for Barca, they will progress unless they lose to Dinamo by two goals or more.
It is highly likely that both Barcelona and Inter will now qualify for the next round, but based on tonight’s evidence the Beneamata’s chances of making any impact in the latter stages of the Champions League look very slim.
What are your views on tonight's game? Do you agree that Barcelona are on another planet to Inter, and that the Italians have no chance of winning the Champions League? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think...
Carlo Garganese, Goal.com
Inside Goal.Com
-
The list of EPL targets from Euro 2012 Group A
With the transfer rumour mill set to kick into frenzy throughout this month's European Championship, Goal.com looks at which players could be heading for England this summer
-
Euro 2012 Dream Team: Ronaldo & Van Persie feature
Goal.com puts together its dream team for this summer's European Championship in Poland and Ukraine
-
Euro 2012 Tactical Analysis: How far can Roy's masterplan take England?
England are a diminished lot, with the experienced players like Lampard, Gareth Barry and Gary Cahill all ruled out of the Euros. Goal.com's Sarthak Dubey analyses their chances..
-
Euro 2012 Trivia: Which team has no player from their domestic league?
In another episode today of Euro Trivia , we bring to you another tricky question..!
Which is the only team in Euro 2012 who have not called up a single player from their own domestic league?
A. Denmark.
B. Poland
C. Czech Republic
D. Republic of Ireland.
Test your knowledge with Goal.com and send in your response. -
Euro 2000 Legends: Zinedine Zidane, France
Zinedine Zidane led France to their second European success with his vital goals and important assists. Zizou masterminded the French revolution from his midfield throne...