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.
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