Celtic dismally failed to live up to their brave heart image last night, but their gutless performance at the Nou Camp should not detract from the fact that this was a FC Barcelona victory worthy of note.
Above all, this will be remembered as the match in which Neymar showed what he is capable of as a playmaker, on and off the ball, assisting, delivering, and scoring goals-his Champion’s League drought transformed into a flowing hat rick.
And to have Neymar showing his true talent, and visibly enjoying himself, is a potentially huge morale booster to Barca that has been struggling to come to t terms with the post-Guardiola era. It remains to be seen whether the young Brazilian’s growing stardom clashes with or complements. Messi’s(once the Argentinian recovers from his injury).
We shall also have to wait and see whether Tata Martino’s rotations and tactical shifts are an effective method capable of success against stronger, more skilled teams, as Barca enters the more demanding stages of the Champions League.
Such was Barca’s dominance last night that Neymar and Pedro could permit themselves a hug and a smile after colliding , like a bunch of overzealous schoolboys with each other and squandering a clear goal scoring opportunity. But the fact remains that while Barca managed its 6-1 victory against weak opposition it still seems to be lacking the coalescing sense of identity that was previously rooted in a commanding midfield.
We are talking Celtic, who would be a mid table Championship team in the UK!!
Its the same old story, in the Liga de Dos, Barcelona & Madrid dance amongst school kids, but when the meet real teams, in Barcelona’s case, Chelsea or Bayern, they succumb and fall by the wayside. Hopefully los Dos will meet the Premier league heavywieghts Arseanl & Man City in the next round and then we will see if these 2 Spanish teams are capabale of progressing in the Champions League!
Well, the poor mid-table team beat Barcelona last year. And by “UK” I guess you mean “England”. There is often a tendency to consider the EPL as being the best league in the world – it is a very good league indeed, but it is not the best, simply the richest. This year, Manchester City are excellent, but they have spent money like there is no tomorrow (as thave Chelsea, and to be fair, Real Madrid over the last few years). Being the richest simply makes you a global brand, but Barcelona are more than that. And one of the attractions about football is that the passion you have is not simply about the bank balance of the team you support.