Revamped Barcelona fire on all cylinders against Borussia Dortmund
The stars shone against Borussia Dortmund to get Barcelona a 3-1 win at home
Recent form suggested that Borussia Dortmund would edge out Barcelona on matchday 5 of the Champions League group-stage. But led on by a capacity Camp Nou crowd, the big names delivered to seal qualification to the knockouts.
Playing his 700th game for Barça, Lionel Messi showed why he is the favourite to win this year’s Ballon d’Or. He was involved in all three of Barça’s goals, assisting Luis Suárez and Antoine Griezmann and finding the back of the net himself.
The Argentine maestro’s dribbling was absolutely fantastic, and he gave a gritty display of determination, strength and skill to lead his side to victory. And as usual, Messi made everyone around him better, even getting the struggling Griezmann on the scoresheet.
Suárez made a big comeback after a poor performance in the 2-1 victory against Leganés. He got into good positions, and he nutmegged Roman Bürki to break his European rut. ‘El Pistolero’ was denied a brace by VAR, but he assisted Messi’s goal.
Ousmane Dembélé started the match, and showed some good touches. But before he could get into his groove against his former club, he had to be taken off due to fitness issues. Griezmann came off the bench to replace his compatriot.
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The France international was surprisingly decent, given his recent form. He missed an easy chance, but made up for it by completing the scoring. He got on the ball, and had some eye-catching exchanges with Leo Messi and Junior Firpo.
In midfield, Ernesto Valverde made surprising changes. Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets remained in the starting lineup, as usual. But it was Ivan Rakitić who got the nod ahead of the reliable Arthur and the in-form Arturo Vidal.
Rakitić’s display was classy, as he showed an array of skills he has developed over the years. The 31-year old Croatian playmaker was heavily involved, and proved that he still has it in him. This performance could lead to further opportunities for Rakitić.
Valverde also had to make many changes at the back, due to injuries to Jordi Alba and Nélson Semedo, apart from Gerard Piqué’s suspension. Samuel Umtiti dazzled at centre-back, and Sergi Roberto was his old reliable self at right-back.
Firpo’s development is continuing, but the ex-Real Betis man showed that he is slowly adapting to the role of Alba’s understudy. Marc-André ter Stegen was solid between the sticks, and De Jong, Busquets and Lenglet’s performances were good, if not flawless.
Overall, Barça showed rhythm and class against Dortmund. The Blaugrana ended the game with just 46% possession, but that was largely owing to late pressure from Dortmund. Throughout the game, Barça seldom made errors and were defensively sound.
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Messi delivered the goals, as he usually does. But this time, his attacking partners also stepped up. Valverde’s tactics worked against an underwhelming Dortmund side, but this result could the turning point for what has been a disappointing season so far.