One midweek game has threatened to define the Blaugrana’s entire campaign for the worse, with Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-0 demolition of the reigning Spanish champions on Tuesday raising criticisms to an all-time high under Luis Enrique.
The Catalan giants scraped their way through into the Copa del Rey final last week, after a tough fixture against Atletico Madrid across two legs, before answering any doubters of their trophy credentials with a 6-0 thumping of fellow finalists Alaves the following weekend in league action.
An injury to Aleix Vidal was the only low point during seven days which saw Barcelona battle their way to a domestic final, before kicking on with six goals and three points that aided their cause, while trying to hang onto Real Madrid’s coat-tails at La Liga’s summit.
It was all smiles and social media posts after Sunday’s game, showing that there was a certain togetherness and team spirit to propel Enrique’s squad forward in the face of adversity.
The Blaugrana will require every last drop of that competitive edge and spirit when PSG visit Camp Nou, however, or risk their entire season petering out into total disappointment. A sole trophy is not part of the master plan for Barcelona under Enrique.
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Like any team, there are times where certain things just do not click – that is football. Even in terms of Lionel Messi’s talents, considered superhuman by most spectators, there is room for occasional lapses in form.
Tuesday night, however, made it tough for any consolation comments to be made, or monumental cracks to be papered over. The ease of PSG’s 4-0 win is nothing short of a wake-up call that will reverberate from Barcelona’s first-team, into their transfer policy, and right down to the short-term plans for their older youth players.
Should Messi and company fail to pull the tie’s aggregate scoreline back in full, as pride cannot truly be taken from anything less, it would not be unreasonable to label the current campaign an immediate failure. Real Madrid have the potential to go as far as seven points clear at the top of La Liga already, while the absence of a Champions League run will feel alien to many supporters.
There is an element of this defeat being of such a resounding nature due to Barcelona’s huge successes over the last decade. They could be considered a victim of their own past trophy hauls - but it is the manner of the loss which proved most alarming.
Angel di Maria’s wonderful 20-yard free-kick opened the scoring at Parc des Princes, after a flurry of half-chances for Les Parisiens, breaking the deadlock in inevitable fashion. At that point, it seemed plausible that the sight of the Argentine wheeling away in celebration could kick-start a response from Enrique’s men, but the cavalry never arrived.
The visiting midfield appeared to simply go absent without leave for the second, third and fourth goals. Julian Draxler was allowed to drift forward unchecked, before rifling a wonderful finish into the bottom corner to leave a previously busy Marc-Andre Ter Stegen with no chance and the scoreline at 1-0.
Emery’s high-quality options allowed for frighteningly vertical counter-attacks.
By that point, PSG’s tails were up. They smelt blood and had the potential in-hand to crush a disorganised and shell-shocked Barcelona, making a previously intimidating second-leg trip to Camp Nou a non-issue for Unai Emery’s side.
The physicality of Blaise Matuidi and Adrien Rabiot in midfield made for two figures that Sergio Busquets and Andre Gomes had no answer for, with the contest bypassing Barcelona’s midfield three with startling clarity at times.
Barcelona, a team used to playing the game at their own pace and controlling proceedings, were left breathlessly chasing a match that they never had a right to win.
Di Maria almost had the luxury of the legal 10 yards required for a free-kick taker to make it 3-0, curling home wonderfully after Barcelona’s back four were left totally exposed, but for the presence of a woefully mispositioned Gomes.
PSG were a yard sharper, noticeably hungrier, and more physical than their opponents. Barcelona were passengers within what was meant to be their game, and gifted away an unforgivable pocket of space in midfield to the advancing full-back Thomas Meunier in the build-up to PSG’s cherry on the top.
The Belgian defender slotted a through ball into Edinson Cavani, and the ex-Napoli man didn’t think twice, dealing what could be the knock-out blow before even the half-time bell of the tie.
It is back to the drawing board for Luis Enrique and Barcelona ahead of the return leg, but Unai Emery will be working just as studiously to prepare his PSG side for a situation which they would never have dreamed of being in.
Will Barcelona turn up for the second leg? That has never been a certainty this season - but they will at least need Lionel Messi to play like a difference-maker before this tie is through.
