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Barcelona was going to have a tough time against Inter Milan, especially without Lionel Messi and Samuel Umtiti, but the sheer fact that their talismanic number 10 wasn’t present, could have handed the Nerazzurri a chance at a victory. But then again, this is Barcelona and one man certainly doesn’t run the show, despite what the statistics tell us and the reigning La Liga champions stepped things up when required.
Inter Milan did put up an incredible fight, but in the end, the sheer quality that Barcelona possesses even without Messi outdid Luciano Spaletti’s men. They did what Barcelona do, kept the ball for immense amounts of time with nearly 60+ percent of possession and that combined with a few moments of quality made a massive difference.
It could have been worse for the San Siro side, with Barcelona having more than their fair share of chances over the 90 minutes. In the end, the home side’s quality outshone the Serie A giant’s hardworking side in a brilliant Champions League group stage clash.
Here are three reasons why a Lionel Messi-less Barcelona beat Inter Milan:
#3 Luis Suarez- Predator turned creator
Luis Suarez, easily one of modern football’s greatest number 9s, with the Urugyuan playing an incredible part in one of football’s greatest trios alongside Neymar and Lionel Messi. However, while his goals always win him plaudits, combined with his desire to be everywhere on the pitch, the 31-year-old has lost his scoring touch in recent seasons. He struggled to find the net last season, with Lionel Messi and even Paulinho taking up most of the burden in the first half of the season.
While Suarez did eventually find his touch in front of goal, Barcelona finally realized that their prolific number 9 was slowly losing his powers. And apparently so has Luis Suarez, with the 31-year-old showing exactly why Barcelona still value him so much, despite his lack of goals this season.
Against Inter Milan, he was brilliant, his usual self as he harried and hustled defenders, but not only that he was a creator. He made the first goal that Rafinha finished brilliantly, but it was Suarez’s incredible pass that cut open the Inter defense perfect and all the Brazilian had to do was put it past Samir Handanovic.
#2 Barcelona controlled the game, no matter what
It’s been a feature of Barcelona’s gameplay ever since Pep Guardiola took over and it has stuck as a part of Barcelona’s gameplay after the tactical genius left the club. They take the game by the neck and never let go, controlling the tempo and making sure that they and only they are in complete control at all times. With Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, Barcelona were at their peak, with the three Spaniard’s in incredible synch at all times.
After Xavi left, things got a little tougher but his departure was aided by the fact that both Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, picked up the slack. Now with Iniesta gone, the only remaining men are Messi and Busquets but the addition of Ivan Rakitic and now Arthur Melo has changed things for Barcelona.
They now have their metronome back and with young Arthur Melo still growing and adjusting to Barcelona’s style of play, the Catalan giants were still deadly. Slowly and comfortably passing the ball from side to side, before suddenly with a burst of pace and a smart turn that made a little extra space for somebody to slip in goal-side, bamboozling the defense. Inter Milan held on for as long as they could but in the end, conceded.
#1 Even without Messi, Barcelona look like a solid team
It was bad news for Barcelona the moment, Messi fell to the ground clutching his arm in pain. Then it became even worse when the official diagnosis was released, Lionel Messi out for at least three weeks. That meant that for the first time in 11 years, there would be no El Clasico without either Messi or Ronaldo. It would also mean that Barcelona would face Inter Milan without their captain and would thus have to face a rampant Inter that had won seven in a row in all competitions.
However, out walked out a Messi-less Barcelona and while many expected a tight match, the La Liga giants produced something else. They were absolutely dominant in possession, as they always are but this time, it was all over the pitch. Even Suarez turned into a creator, providing a sumptuous pass for Rafinha to open the scoring.
The second goal was yet another brilliant a-typical Barcelona move, with Arturo Vidal, Jordi Alba and Ivan Rakitic playing within the confines of a one-two-three-one, with Rakitic producing the final pass for Jordi Alba. The Spaniard took it within his stride; beat Milan Skrinar before unleashing a lethal finish for Barcelona’s second of the night, ending any chance at an Inter Milan comeback.
In the end, they proved that even without arguably the greatest player to ever walk a football pitch, Barcelona had more than enough star power and class to shine through. However, their next test is a rather struggling Real Madrid in the El Clasico, and given the occasion, things could get complicated.
