Barcelona are in prime position to advance to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after a key 2-0 away win against Arsenal on a great Tuesday night of football in London, thanks to a brace from Lionel Messi following a complete performance from the Blaugrana. Here's a few takeaways from what we saw at the Emirates Stadium.
1. Dani Alves and Javier Mascherano are still great
It was a great game from the whole side, but I'd like to single out these two veterans. Especially this season, the two had been (correctly) questioned for their decline in performances, particularly the Brazilian full-back. A substantial part of the fanbase was already demanding Aleix Vidal in the Gala XI in place of Alves, and most fans want another center-back to replace the Argentine next season. But on Tuesday, both of them proved they're still starter-worthy talents. The two were simply immense, especially on the defensive side of the game. Mascherano was perfect, winning every tackle, getting every clearance right, showing spectacular positioning and awareness.
Alves was also fantastic going back, nullifying the threat of Alexis Sánchez and the overlapping runs of Nacho Monreal when needed. He played a great match going forward as well, playing as a central midfielder at times to keep possession and combining well with his teammates.
Dani and Masche might not be as consistently amazing as they were in previous seasons with the Catalans, but they showed on Tuesday that they will step up their level in the most important situations. Amazing to see.
2. Pep Barça still works, and Lucho Barça is so much fun
Luis Enrique knew that Arsenal would sit back and look to defend as much as they could, so he brought back the Pep Guardiola style. The first half was a throwback, with the Blaugrana passing and passing and passing in order to find spaces against a parked bus. They also used possession as their defensive gameplan, since they knew how hard it is to stop the Gunners on the counter, and keeping the ball was the best way to avoid fast breaks. As time went on, their passing slowly opened some gaps on the defense, and they had two clear chances to score with Luis Suárez, but no goals came.
And then, in the second half, the hosts wanted a goal, and started to go forward in search of opportunities. That's when Barça turned into the world-beating machine built by Luis Enrique. They were quite content with giving some of the possession, sitting back and then unleashing the 'MSN' trio into the hopeless Arsenal back four. The opening goal happened that way, and it was incredibly fun to see the transformation from the patient, slow passing in the first half to the lightning quick counter-attack that led to Lionel Messi's first goal. And then Barça turned into Pep Team again to keep the ball, which led to the penalty and Messi's second score.
The constant switching of styles we saw on Tuesday shows just how complete and unstoppable this side has become. Props to Pep for building the passing machine, and Lucho for keep using it and also building the fast break machine. When the two work well in the same game, it's a beautiful thing to see.
3. Marc-André ter Stegen is incredible
We have now become used to seeing two amazing goalkeepers in Claudio Bravo and Ter Stegen for two seasons, and both perform at such a high level that it is hard to decide which one should be the real number one keeper in the future. But after Tuesday, my heart has decided: I want the German. Sometimes we forget how incredibly hard it is to be such a talented goalkeeper and have to sit on the bench for 38 league games. Plus, Cup matches are not weekly, which means he can't have a consistent rhythm, and that makes things harder, especially for his position. For a guy who doesn't play every week to be prepared for a Champions League game on the road against a potent attack is sensational. He made two key saves, and the second one to stop a header from Olivier Giroud is one of the best we've seen this season.
Now, Ter Stegen has to wait three weeks to play again, and the second leg against Arsenal promises to be a busy one for the German, since the Gunners will certainly go forward having to score at least twice at Camp Nou. However, one thing is for certain: MATS will be ready. As always. What a player.
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