Champions League quarter-final preview: PSG v Barcelona

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  • Roaring success: Barca stars Neymar and Suarez justified their hefty pricetags against PSG.

    Former PSG coach Luis Fernandez puffed on his cigar and turned his gaze to the 2,000 Barcelona fans singing at the other end of the Parc des Princes stadium.

    The first leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona had been over for half an hour yet the Blaugrana faithful were still occupying the away end, digging deep into their repertoire of Barca songs.

    They admittedly had every reason to be cheerful. Luis Enrique’s side had produced a fine lesson in attacking realism and all-but secured semi-final qualification with a 3-1 away win.

    Luis Suarez had scored a brilliant brace to top off Neymar’s opener. Lionel Messi had a quiet evening by his standards as he failed to find a back of the net, but his general performance had been impressive too. Barca’s attacking trident had well and truly clicked, with the trio accounting for three-quarters of the team’s goals this season.

    The Barcelona fans were singing the praises of their South-American trio and Luis Fernandez, who coached the Parisians when they beat Barça in the 1995 Champions League quarter-finals, seemed to opine that the final third was the area of the pitch where the difference between both sides had been clearest

    “George Weah,” he mumbled between two plumes of smoke, upon being asked which player from the 1995 side he reckoned would have made the biggest difference on the night.

    The former Liberia striker, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1995, was PSG’s symbol in the mid-1990s, lighting up the Parc des Princes with his solo runs and frightening presence in the opposition penalty box. His influence in the quarter-final against Barcelona 20 years ago was decisive with a goal in the first leg.

    His performance at the time was certainly a contrast to Edinson Cavani’s outing last Wednesday. The Uruguayan, bought from Napoli for Dhs250 million (€63m) has scored a goal every other game with PSG but his big-game performances, particularly in the Champions League knockout rounds, have deservedly seen him subjected to some criticism.

    His profligacy last Wednesday was one among a number of reasons why PSG head to Camp Nou with just a fraction of the confidence they had upon their extra-time qualification at Stamford Bridge when they booked their quarter-final spot against Chelsea last month.

    Luis Suarez’s Uruguay team-mate missed a great opportunity created by Ezequiel Lavezzi just before the half-hour mark and later squandered a handful of chances in the second half. Above all, he conveyed the feeling of not being able to turn the game around on his own, something which a player of his value and perceived quality should be able to do in a match of such stature.

    Luis Fernandez’s answer was a neat summary of PSG’s shortcomings in the absence of their star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, suspended that night. The contrast between Suarez’s outstanding brace and Cavani’s difficulties produced the impression that the French side had perhaps the wrong Uruguayan striker in their ranks last Wednesday, although it was a matter of timing and connections in the transfer market which ultimately played their part in one’s favour over another.

    Cavani’s career at PSG has not been all that bad, with the Uruguayan maintaining an impressive goal ratio despite often being played on the wing to accommodate Ibrahimovic. Unfortunately last Wednesday it looked like PSG missed more than one key player, while Barca could indiscriminately replace their players and still retain their dominant style. This was best embodied in their attacking trio – one forward’s sub-par moment would be made up for by the two others raising their game and maintaining pressure on their opponents.

    Paris Saint-Germain’s reputation on the other hand has perhaps been made by their midfield trio of Thiago Motta, Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi – of whom only the latter played last Wednesday. It was clear that PSG could not cope with two-thirds of the trio going amiss, respectively to injury and suspension.

    The size of the task at hand for the Parisians is now considerable although they welcome Ibrahimovic and Verratti back in the squad for the return leg.

    Their need to score three away goals seems just as difficult to picture as their need not to concede more than one goal to what is Europe’s most impressive front line this season.

    With even more variety than in the days when Messi was flanked by Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry in 2009 or David Villa and Pedro in 2011, when Barcelona won the Champions League trophy, the Catalans are keen to signal their return to the centre stage in Europe after a brief period of introspection in the past four years.

    With this trio at the helm, it does appear like the Barcelona fans will have a lot more to sing about in the coming months.

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