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During World War II, the German forces were moving a step ahead of the Allied Forces during the 1940s. With the Allied Forces expecting a similar tactic like that used in World War I, the British Forces left the small crossing channel ports including Boulogne and Dunkirk, wide open. The Germans conquered the French Army and the British troops in the Netherlands and Belgium. The British soldiers, who managed to survive the onslaught, were backed up in a small pocket of space around the sea-port in Dunkirk.
In that situation, Winston Churchill, who had just taken charge as the Prime Minister made the decision to risk more troops in order to save those who were stranded. Christopher Nolan's 2017 movie is all about the evacuation of those soldiers who resisted the Germans without the numerical advantage.
In his first speech in the House of Commons, Churchill said, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat". Following the successful evacuation of the soldiers from Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo, Britain was still not out of immediate danger.
The coast of Dunkirk is just a two-hour road trip from the city of Canterbury in England. Britain expected an immediate German invasion and their Prime Minister stepped up in the House of Commons to warn about the situation and Britain's approach. His words in the House of Commons, which was never broadcast, remain the part of one of the most historic speeches to date.
We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender - Winston Churchill
Churchill gave Britain the glimmer of hope that they desperately needed. Lost soldiers, running low on ammunition, in no condition to face an invasion from the Nazis, desperate for a leader to step up, Britain found solitude in the words of Churchill. The speech "We shall fight on the beaches", was delivered in May 1940. At their weakest, British forces resisted the German Air Force and forced Hitler to call off his invasion plans by October.
The reason for mentioning these few facts is nothing but to compare them to the present situation -- a night in Rome, when Spain rejoiced but a small province called Catalonia in the country was left heart-broken. It was FC Barcelona's third consecutive quarter-final exit in the UEFA Champions League, which meant that the only real threat to Real Madrid's title hopes was gone. Months later, the old general left, leaving his captain's armband around a new sleeve -- the sleeves of a diminutive Argentine, a person he loved so much but age wouldn't permit him to play at that level anymore.
As Don Andres left Barcelona after a long time in the club, to be precise 16 long years, Lionel Andres Messi wore the red-and-yellow stripes around his sleeves. La Pulga was now El Capita as well. Messi already carried the hopes of the 100,000 that always filled the Camp Nou and now the armband was another reason to add to that hope.
In the Joan Gamper trophy 2018, when Boca Juniors visited the city of Barcelona, Lionel Messi was handed a mic to address those at the Camp Nou for the traditional captain's address prior to the game. The last time, I remember Lionel speaking at the Nou Camp was following the treble victory in 2015. That day he said, "You wanted this, here it is" and that was the end. This time he took the mic and went on to deliver a powerful and emotional speech ending with a promise.
“Last year we were very good in La Liga and the Copa del Rey but we were left in the dark with the Champions League. We will do our best to bring this beautiful cup back home at the Camp Nou” - Lionel Messi
His performance in last year's Champions League wasn't the best and perhaps that was at the back of his mind.
Fast forward three months and look at the Champions League situation for FC Barcelona. Their first game was against PSV Eindhoven. Lionel Messi scored the opening goal of the match and also the UEFA Champions League 2018-19 with a stunning free-kick. He would add two more to his total and finish the first game with a hat-trick and a perfect 10 rating.
The next Champions League game was against Tottenham at Wembley Stadium. An inch-perfect through ball was the catalyst for the first goal on the night and it came from a magical left foot. Towards the start of the second half, the man wearing the armband would come agonizingly close to scoring twice, denied both times by the woodwork. The third time, however, he would be successful in guiding the ball past Hugo Lloris. Towards the dying minutes, Messi would score another easy goal to seal the deal for Barcelona. It gave him another perfect 10 rating.
In the following games against Inter, Messi was ruled out due to radial bone fracture. He returned to the PSV game, still as the top scorer, despite having missed two games. He took his magical left foot to Eindhoven before swinging it with perfection in the 61st minute.
He was surrounded by three defenders, one behind him as well, nearly no space to take a shot and certainly running out of precious milliseconds. Messi found the minimal of gaps with a sublime swing that left keeper Zoet frozen to his spot. Later on, he would swing a free-kick which was perfectly miscued towards Pique and the defender would go on to score.
Messi's match rating would drop to 9.5 on the night, but he was still the Man of the Match. In the three games that Lionel Messi played this season in the Champions League, he has won Man of the Match awards in all three and UEFA Player of the Week award in all three.
Look back at Churchill's speech and the situation his country was in. Were they in any condition to stop the rampant Germans, following an exhausting evacuation process at Dunkirk? Not in the wildest of dreams. But Churchill's words gave them hope and when the leader remains positive, the followers remain positive.
When we look at Barcelona now, not many who understand football would call them favourites. We know that their defense is weak, we know they should have been made to pay at Eindhoven and we know the goals they concede are due to serious errors. Errors would be bad in the knockout stages, luck is a big factor in knockout competitions but teams tend to create a bad luck for themselves by repeating rookie errors.
Is Ernesto Valverde a good coach? Perhaps, yes, but he has run out of tactics to be blunt. He fails to give minutes to his youngsters at least when Rakitic is delivering horrific performances. He starts Rakitic in every game without rest, no matter how his performances are. Is there one Barcelona player who is well rested, who plays in the first team? None. Those on the bench are rusty, those on the pitch are fatigued.
Still, if there is any reason to believe that Barcelona have a chance in the UEFA Champions League 2018-19, it is because of their captain Lionel Messi. He gave his word and he is performing in a necessary manner. He is understanding the gravity of the situation in the Champions League and knows how to win it. He is the glimmer of hope for us, FC Barcelona fans. If his team fails to keep up with him, then it is over. If they manage to do so, then consider the challenge 50% easier.
We don't know when the others will step up. But we know that one man is stepping up, and that one man is capable of doing 75% of the work. From building up the play to finding the right pass to dribbling past the defense and to score in any manner, he does it, he has done it so far. The rest 25% is up to the others.
Lionel Messi has made promises and he is performing a notch above the rest -- most goals in the Champions League, most Player of the Week awards, most Man of the Match awards, best average rating. Could he do anything more or anything better?
