Barcelona 3-0 Chelsea (Aggregate 4-1): 5 Talking Points

Lionel Messi masterclass takes Barcelona to the last 8 of the Champions League at the expense of Chelsea and there's plenty to talk about

Showing up for a fight is one thing but landing a punch is an entirely different story. Ask Chelsea. Though the scoreline that reads 3-0 is a bit too criminal and heavy to fit in their travel bags for all the labour they generously meted out, Antonio Conte's men succumbed largely to the genius of football's greatest artist who goes by the name of Lionel Messi.It took all of 127 seconds for the man, to whom the giant tifo in the stands that read 'God Save the King' was dedicated, to go get the first goal of the night. Chelsea toiled to claw back into the game but they were pushed further back into the boondocks as Leo Messi took it upon himself to render 5 Chelsea players invalid before teeing up Ousmane Dembele for the Blaugrana's second of the night.He then put the locks on the gates Chelsea were threatening to kick down by nutmegging Courtois a second time after darting into the box as fast as a hare chasing a sentient carrot to usher Barcelona into the last 8 of the competition for the 11th consecutive year.But it was not all that easy for Barcelona and thanks to the relentlessness of Antonio Conte's men, the night never ran short on excitement.There's plenty to talk about, so let's dive right in.

#5 Ernesto Valverde gets his starting XI spot on

Heck, it is so hard to find a photo on the internet where Valverde looks distraught. Gauged by many as someone who got lucky punching above his weight at the onset of the season, Valverde's calm demeanour was not often looked at as a measure of the man's sagacity.
But he has already led this Barcelona side to great things and with quite a few options at his disposal and a result to obtain, Valverde got it spot on with his team selection.
Andres Iniesta went through a late assessment on the day and was okayed to play and Valverde deployed the Spanish genius to take charge of the midfield and alongside Busquets and Rakitic, he kept things simple and ticking in the centre.
There was also the question of using Dembele on the right flank but the kid proved his worth in the game against Malaga and repaid the gaffer's trust by scoring the second goal of the night and being a constant thorn in the flesh of the Premier League's defending champions.
Dembele had no qualms about tracking back and even put in a sensational last-ditch tackle to steal the ball from Alonso just as the Spanish wing-back looked all set to pull one back for Chelsea.
Iniesta is not at a stage in his career where he can return from an injury and work for 90 minutes at a stretch and with the game looking safe and settled, Valverde chose to send Paulinho in for the veteran.
The Brazilian put in a decent shift and even tested Courtois with a towering header in the final quarter of the game.
Busquets came off sore after Moses crashed into him near the centre circle and Valverde gave a run out to Gomes who was welcomed to the ground with a huge roar - which was heartening to see after the midfielder opened up about going through 'hell' after being jeered by his own fans at Barcelona.

When and where to watch Barça vs Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League round of 16

Check out our global guide to international kickoff times of the second leg at Camp Nou!

It will have been 99 days since the last time Barça played a Champions League game at home, and this one is exponentially more crucial. Nevertheless, Barça has a valuable away goal in hand as it welcomes Chelsea to Camp Nou this Wednesday night in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The two sides played to a 1–1 draw at Stamford Bridge in February, meaning Chelsea must score at least once more to avoid elimination. Entertainment is practically guaranteed for this one, so make sure you follow it live, no matter where you are.

As always, the match will be broadcast live on TV around the world. We will also have live English play-by-play streamed on R@dioBarça. And social media users can get live updates on Barça's official Facebook and Twitter accounts as the action unfolds.

Lionel Messi Left 'Angry' as Reports Claim Barcelona Star Could Make Manchester United Switch

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Lionel Messi is said to be furious after learning that defender Samuel Umtiti could be set for a Barcelona exit.

Spanish publication Diario Gol have reported that ​Manchester United have agreed provisional terms with the 24-year-old. Umtiti is believed to be happy to stay at Barcelona, but wants to see his £70,000-a-week salary doubled.

Diego Maradona Revealed as Inspiration Behind Lionel Messi's Deadly Free-kick Technique

Former Argentina fitness coach Fernando Signorini has revealed how Albiceleste legend Diego Maradona helped compatriot Lionel Messi perfect his free-kick taking abilities. 

Barcelona stretched their lead at the top of La Liga to eight points on Sunday after they beat 2nd-placed Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Camp Nou. The only goal of the game came in the 26th minute when Messi bent a sumptuous free-kick past John Oblak for the 600th goal of his career. 

The strike means that Messi has now scored three free-kicks in his last three games for ​Barca. Since returning from the ​La Liga's winter break, the Argentine has scored five free-kicks from 33 attempts leaving him with a conversion rate of 15% - the average for Europe's top five leagues is just six per cent in comparison. 

Speaking in an interview with LaSexta (via Marca), Signorini has revealed how the Argentine international wasn't always as clinical from dead ball situations and needed some inspiration from another Argentina legend: "I started walking to where Diego was, and at the same moment I see Messi place the ball down." 

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"He takes three shots and misses all three and turned to us with a look of clear frustration. He turns towards the dressing room and I shout 'no' before hugging him and telling him that the best player in the world can't leave a training session like that.

"Diego arrives and they talk to each other, the world seems to stop at that moment. He places the ball in the same place and then gives some very paternal words. He told him not to take his foot off the ball so quickly when he takes a free kick."

Lionel Messi Just One Goal Away From Incredible Goalscoring Landmark Ahead of Atleti Clash

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Barcelona legend Lionel Messi can reach an outstanding career landmark if he finds the back of the net against ​Atlético Madrid on Sunday.

The 30-year-old is just one goal away from reaching a tally of 600 goals with Barcelona and Argentina, his latest of which was a brilliant free-kick in a 1-1 draw on the road to Las Palmas

Messi currently has 538 goals in ​Barcelona colours, of which 372 have come in ​La Liga, and the Argentine forward has found the back of the net a further 61 times with his national team.

Messi has also registered an incredible number of assists throughout his career, with 245 coming with the Blaugrana and 42 for the Albiceleste.

The long-running debate over who is better between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can't even be up for discussion with this latest stat as ​Real Madrid's Portuguese superstar took a further two years to reach the same amount of career goals.

Unless Barca's No. 10 fails to find the back of the net until 2020 - which let's face it just is not going to happen - then even the most militant of Ronaldo supporters will struggle to argue against Messi's superior goalscoring exploits.

Lionel Messi has concern over Barcelona teammate as form takes drastic dip

Eyebrows were raised when Barcelona made one signing in particular last summer, and now his recent poor form has reportedly raised concern for Lionel Messi.

Given that the Catalan giants remain top of the La Liga table and are still in the hunt for Copa del Rey and Champions League glory, there surely isn’t too much for them to be worried about.

However, according to Diario Gol, as re-reported by The Express, Messi has become concerned by Paulinho’s dip in form after he had made such an impressive start to life at the Nou Camp.

After a difficult stint at Tottenham followed by a move to China, the Brazilian midfielder’s move to Barcelona would understandably have been met with scepticism.

Particularly considering when the club splashed out €40m to sign him, as per BBC Sport, it seemed like a very risky decision as the 29-year-old hadn’t shown a great deal to suggest that he was capable of making that kind of step up in class.

To his credit, he bagged eight goals and two assists earlier in the season, but it wasn’t going to take much for the scrutiny to start up again as seen in the report above.

Diario Gol claim that Messi is concerned about how the Brazilian has been unable to have a similar impact since Luiz Suarez returned to form and Philippe Coutinho arrived at the club.

Paulinho’s last La Liga goal came on January 14, while he has failed to net in the Champions League this season and Barcelona may well need him to step up against Chelsea in the second leg at the Nou Camp after he missed a great opportunity in the first meeting.

Whether this is the real level that Paulinho can operate at and his early-season form was merely just a honeymoon period, or if it’s just a case of having to rediscover his best form, it seems the pressure is building on him both outside the club and within the dressing room, as per this report.