FC Barcelona reached the last eight of the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Celtic, but the night was spoilt for Barça due to a muscle injury to Leo Messi which could see him out for at least a month. Messi pulled up in the 34th minute and immediately put his hands to his head in frustration. First reports say it is a torn biceps femoris muscle in the left leg which is the same injury that he suffered against Valencia. That time he was out for five weeks but it all depends on the size of the tear and we will have to wait until tomorrow’s scans to know the extent of the injury.
Gabi Milito was forced to sit out after getting a poor night’s sleep due to a fever, so given that Marquez is still injured, Lilian Thuram partnered Carles Puyol in central defence. Iniesta, Henry and Abidal were today’s victims of the rotation system which meant a start for Sylvinho, saw Deco restored to midfield, and a return of the classic REM forward line. Before the game “You’ll never walk alone” was played over the loudspeakers as a mark of respect to Celtic who had played the Barça hymn in Celtic Park.
Barça took the lead in the third minute with a slick move started by Messi cutting infield, he found Xavi who laid the ball off to Ronaldinho who put in the overlapping Sylvinho with one of his trademark pass where he looks the other way, and Sylvinho’s first time cross found Xavi at the near post to sidefoot a volley over Boruc into the net.
Barça then played fifteen minutes of great football where Celtic had only a couple of timid forays into Barça’s half. Ronaldinho and Sylvinho were combining well on the left causing Celtic right back Mark Wilson plenty of problems. In the ninth minute Ronaldinho’s shot surprised Boruc but the Polish goalkeeper did enough to put the ball out for a corner.
Barça’s passing game gradually slowed down and despite all the possession there were few chances until Ronaldinho sent in Puyol after 29 minutes but Boruc managed to push over Puyol’s flick. With Messi’s injury shortly afterwards Barça had to reorganise the attack, and Rijkaard once again made the strange decision to put Samuel Eto’o on the right. There was a slight improvement in tactics compared to the Atletico Madrid game as Ronaldinho stayed on the left and Henry played through the middle.
Barça started the second half slowly and Celtic began to come out and look for an equalizer. Vennegoor of Hesselink had one chance but failed to make full contact with his header before being replaced by Samaras. Just as Celtic’s confidence began to grow Barça had a couple of chances; first Ronaldinho exchanged passes with Eto’o before producing a shot that Boruc did well to push away. From the resulting corner a clearance came to Deco who fired in a tremendous volley that forced a great save from Boruc.
The rhythm of the game dropped in the last half hour with only the neat touches of Ronaldinho who grew in confidence as the night went on. Celtic bravely continued to push players forward but it was only in the last few minutes that McDonald and Nakamura tested Victor Valdés. Barça also had a couple of late chances but first Eto’o tried to square to Henry when he should have tried to shoot, and then Boruc was equal to Gudjohnsen’s effort.
Barça proved to be vastly superior over the two legs but it is worrying that they cannot convert the dominance into more goals. Perhaps they scored too early tonight and lost the necessary drive to score more goals, or perhaps they were genuinely affected by Messi’s injury as the game certainly got worse after his substitution. This proved to be an interesting postscript to the rotations debate. After the claim that Messi and Toure should have played on Saturday, perhaps we will now realize that Messi was not in perfect conditions and neither was Toure who was substituted after 67 minutes, suggesting his exclusion on Saturday was not just a rest or a rotation. Unfortunately a handful of idiots decided to whistle Edmilson when he came on to replace Toure. While Messi’s injury is the worst news tonight, the form of Ronaldinho is cause for optimism. I wasn’t too impressed with him on Saturday, despite the overhead kick, but today was a very good performance which should give us hope for the future.
Barça: Valdés 6.5, Zambrotta 6, Thuram 6, Puyol 6.5, Sylvinho 7.5; Xavi 6.5 (Gudjohnsen m81, 6), Toure 7 (Edmilson m67, 6), Deco 6; Messi 7 (Henry m35, 6), Eto’o 6, Ronaldinho 8.
Celtic: Boruc; Wilson, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Hartley (McDonald m78), Donati (Sno m45), Brown, McGeady; Nakamura; Vennegoor of Hesselink (Samaras m55).
Goals: m3 Xavi 1-0.
Yellow Cards: None
Attendance: 75,326
Click here for Xavi’s goal.
Some Highlights
32 responses so far ↓
Clarity // Mar 5, 2008 at 0:08
man this is depressing
NateW // Mar 5, 2008 at 0:18
when messi cried i felt it.
those guys just looked satisfied with that early goal .. i believe that they did just loose the drive to score ..
i find henry tries to get plays building but doesnt get back the service when he makes it into the box.
layi // Mar 5, 2008 at 0:26
i am finished, maybe from now, i’ll only start checking the results…i won’t be able to bear watchin our matches without messi…R10, we need you the most now.,,and i think bojan should be given a good try on the right side of the forward line, i dont want rikaard to waste eto there
Rafael // Mar 5, 2008 at 0:36
Ronaldinho played well!
Such a shame for Messi.. too see tears just shows us how much he wants to play and loves the game. I hope he gets better 100%.. hopefully not too long, but not too quick either.
Speeka // Mar 5, 2008 at 0:49
I agree Ronaldinho & Sylvinho both linked up very well tonight. Apart from the goal, there were a couple occasions when both Puyol & Eto’o just missed out from adding their names to the score sheet.
Messi? What can you say? Its heart breaking.
Lets hope the boy can make it back for the final, it would be a travesty if he were to miss 2 CL finals!
Game of the night, Sevilla v Fenerbahce! wow!
bobkat // Mar 5, 2008 at 1:26
First time posting here! I found the blog through posts at www.fbtz.com, and i’m glad i did. This is a fantastic blog.
I think messi’s injury is becoming chronic. He’s torn this muscle before in the past (and not just against valencia). I think this may end up being a problem for the rest of his life, and may sadly limit his greatness. If this does become a recurring issue it will be such an unfair thing for such a talented player.
Joe // Mar 5, 2008 at 2:09
its a shame to see Messi go out like that.
but as a newcomer to football I have a question - would Messi’s absence allow the other players get in a better rhythm? as an avid NBA fan, I see this sort of thing happen with injuries all the time, where players rise to the challenge of playing without their fallen teammate. can this happen here?
i know losing a player of Leo’s magnitude can’t help much, but I’m trying to stay positive with this…
blaugranafan // Mar 5, 2008 at 4:47
I believe Toure is also one yellow card away from a suspension, Nic, so perhaps that was also a factor in his substitution.
Messi’s injury is a shame, but if any team can overcome such a key injury, it is Barca. This is a very determined and mentally tough squad. R10 has been through hell and back the past year because of some jerks in the press, but he’s shown his resilience. And Sammy Eto’o has recovered from two serious injuries to show that he’s still the best in the world. They’ll play for Leo, and they’ll play ferociously. And hopefully, at the end of the season, Leo will be back in time to play in the CL final.
Rafael // Mar 5, 2008 at 6:11
Hey Nic,
Where do you get your photos from? The main one looks amazing!
pep // Mar 5, 2008 at 10:10
I think one month, let’s hope we’re still in the CL then (when are the quarter finals played and when is the draw?), so he can lead us to Moscow (he was already really disappointed when he missed out on the Paris final). We just should accept he’s an injury prone player and hope the medicial staff finds a way to deal with that in the best possible way.
The others have to step up now, Ronaldinho is growing to his best form (great connection with Sylvinho), let’s hope he continues. And what’s happening to Xavi, scoring like it’s nothing lately. Why did he hide this from us for so long?!
Taras // Mar 5, 2008 at 11:33
I’m very glad we won but really disappointed because of Messi, and I think he was crying because of pain in the leg, not because he wanted to play so much. Guys, when is the 1/4 draw?
Rafael // Mar 5, 2008 at 11:44
I think the 3/4 finals are in 3-4 weeks.. then the semi finals a week after that.
Nic // Mar 5, 2008 at 12:09
The draw for the quarter final and the semi final are on Friday 14th March. The draw is an open draw so we could face anyone including Madrid and takes place at 13ooh Spanish time. The quarter finals are to be played on the 1/2 April and 8/9 April. The Semis are on 22/23 April and 29/30 April. The Final in Moscow is on the 21st May.
Blaugranafan - fair point about Toure’s yellow card maybe it was for that, but nobody really looked like getting booked in last night’s game.
Rafael - the photos come from me spending a stupid amount of time searching through all the different media sources.
Taras - I’m sure the tears were out of frustration not the physical pain.
Justin // Mar 5, 2008 at 12:31
Does anyone know if Barca will be playing at home on the 8/9 April for the return leg of the QF or is the draw totally open in the sense that we could be playing at home on the 1/2 April?
Thanks
Nic // Mar 5, 2008 at 12:46
Justin - You’ll have to wait until the draw is made to find out.
Justin // Mar 5, 2008 at 13:06
Cheers Nic, Its just that my brother will be in BCN on the 9th and I could get him a couple of tickets for the game when they go on sale
Don // Mar 5, 2008 at 13:50
I thought this would have been a party and yet there was 15,000 more spectators at the other game against Glasgow
Nic // Mar 5, 2008 at 14:39
Don - thanks for reminding me to look for the attendance figures. The Barça members can be a fickle lot. Strangely, there are a lot of members who are not really into football, people who were made members by their parents at birth for example (a lot of the time it has to do with Catalan nationalism and politics). For this reason factors like the weather can have more of an influence on attendances than in other places, and last night was cold in Barcelona. Anyway the official figure for last night was 75,326, and for the Rangers match it was 82,887. So that’s approximately 7,500 difference.
pep // Mar 5, 2008 at 15:17
Puyol’s reaction (”the press wanted him to play and now you see what you get”) seems also a hit at Rijkaard, since he kind of suggests Rijkaard couldn’t withstand the pressure of the press to put Messi on.
Messi shouldn’t have played against Celtic anyway, in my opinion, since it was clear Celtic wasn’t to be any danger to us and we could have used him better against Villareal.
And Touré was apparently for the yellow card, we’ll need the guy in quarters.
Nic // Mar 5, 2008 at 15:41
Pep - Puyol today has clarified his words by saying “Nobody should interpret my words in the sense that the coaches allowed the press to pressure them into playing Messi.” He goes on to say “the coaches know better than anyone what is best for the team and they make their decisions according to the information available”.
This second point was precisely what I was trying to say in the rijkaard’s rotation article in paragraphs three and four.
http://fcbnews.com/rijkaards-rotations/
pep // Mar 5, 2008 at 17:03
Puyol is now pulling back, guess in the heat of the moment he said what he really thought and only later realised what his words actually also could mean.
About injuries, it’s simple. If a player is fit he can play, if not he shouldn’t. And no fan will have a problem when a non-fit player is not playing. But you should communicate these things well to the fans and to the press. The thing also is: why they would communicate on Bojan and Marquez and Milito and oleguer and whoever but not on Touré or Messi? That doesn’t make any sense.
So my conclusion: Messi was fit and just got injured becuase he’s injury prone (like more explosive players, f.ex. Robben or Vicente - some are speculating about the hormones he got which could have damaged his muscle structure). Or: Messi wasn’t fit and then it was a mistake by Rijkaard to play him (and certainly against Celtic, but that last thing is only my opinion).
Nic // Mar 5, 2008 at 18:08
Pep - It is not always in your best interest to communicate these things because you also give this information to your opponent. In the case of Messi they obviously knew there was a slight risk. Unfortunately niggling injuries or slight strains/ tired muscles or whatever are not as simple as you make out.
You often have to make a calculated risk. The game with Atletico was important and so was the game with Celtic. Those within the club have to weigh up each situation as it arises and decide when a player is worth risking. The fact that some now want to place blame for Messi’s injury is quite frankly pathetic.
Merv // Mar 5, 2008 at 20:25
Nic - I agree wholeheartedly with your assesment. The media has and will always pick and choose snippets of the truth to twist and turn into something more sensational than it really is. The whole reason is to make the sales.
Unless you see the The manager/players actually giving the interview just take it with a grain of salt. Even if it is a quote that is printed it’s often used out of context. It stands to reason why Henry and Puyol both have had to readdress the press after their interviews have been misinterpreted.
It’s easy to want to lambast the coach or players after a bad result. To find someone or something to blame. It’s harder to keep the faith even when things aren’t going great.
Barcelona’s biggest obstacle to overcome this season hasn’t been anything to do with anyone inside the club. It has been the Media monster that has plagued the team and the fans with speculation. Causing uncertainty, unrest and even fear at times. It’s unecessary.
As far as the game…..
The match was entertaining and the squad showed great spirit and even joy playing. The only thing to mar the result was the injury to Messi. It really broke my heart to see him coming off the pitch in tears. I will pray for him to recover completely and that this wont be an injury that harasses him throughout his career.
blaugranafan // Mar 6, 2008 at 0:07
It’s great to see so much discussion about Messi and an appreciation of how much he means not just to Barca, but to football in general. But I think it’s probably best to refrain from speculating on what caused his injury or to what extent he will continue to have these injuries. Even for observers who do have medical expertise, we are so far removed from the situation that we cannot possibly have anything close to the information to even make a somewhat-educated analysis of why Messi keeps getting these unfortunate muscle injuries. In my humble opinion, speculation–on why Messi was left out against Atletico–is part of the reason why we’re in this mess, and I don’t think additional speculation is in any way helpful, however well-meaning the comments might be.
Nic–I think you’re right on the money with these recent posts. It’s not appropriate for outsiders to question the judgments made by coaches and medical professionals with regard to players’ fitness. They have the information; the fans and the press don’t. I also don’t like the way the press has built up Messi-mania. Leo is a crack, sure enough, but conveying the notion that all is lost if Leo is not on the pitch is not a good mentality for club supporters to have. Plus, it’s also simply not true; Barca have a phenomenal roster.
I’m really starting to loathe the Spanish (Catalan and otherwise) sports press more and more as time goes on. It’s no better than tabloid journalism–no journalistic responsibility, no journalistic standards, and nothing but hype hype hype.
layi // Mar 6, 2008 at 6:31
madrid are out
Taras // Mar 6, 2008 at 9:25
Yes!!! Madrid lost!:) But do you think that now they are going to focus on La Liga and become stronger?
pep // Mar 6, 2008 at 9:26
Nic - So you think Puyol is pathetic? Ok.
When you play Messi there’s always a risk, I guess. Or at least a major risk than with another player. “It is not always in your best interest to communicate these things because you also give this information to your opponent” : you’re searching it far here, trying to prove our point I guess, but let’s try to stick with the facts. And anyhow: Messi is injury prone and everyone knows this, communicating about it or not. Plus this doesn’t explain the difference in communication in different cases.
Nic // Mar 6, 2008 at 11:11
Pep - You know I am not saying that. Ok. Placing blame within the club is what I mean (the press is another thing), and no I don’t think Puyol was blaming Rijkaard. Did you read Puyol’s declaration yesterday? Unfortunately it doesn’t appear on the English site, but here it is in Spanish which I believe you understand.
http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/castellano/noticies/futbol/temporada07-08/03/n080305103501.html
My point about not communicating is perfectly valid. Of course there can be a difference between cases. You don’t communicate when someone has a niggling injury but may be forced to play anyway. As I said yesterday in reply to Taras on the Doctors confirm… article when you play sport you often get a warning twinge. Sometimes you play on and you are fine, sometimes you end up regretting an injury. It is this sort of case that you don’t want to communicate. The argument about only playing when players are at 100% is nice on paper but it reality plenty of players play when they are not at 100% just like the rest of us go to work when we are not at 100%. Being at 100% is not a common condition, there are often slight strains etc that don’t stop a player performing. Do you think Henry has been at 100% this season? Or Deco last season? Or Edmilson? Maybe they should have announced before every match “Thierry Henry is going to play today but forgive him his performance because he has a dodgy back”
pep // Mar 6, 2008 at 12:37
There’s no logic in the later “explanation” from Puyol, Nic, it was clear what he meant in the first place, that didn’t need explanation. Messi wasn’t totally fit and the pressure of the press could have caused him to play. I guess it’s just logical thinking to go from that to “Rijkaard, who also knew that, shouldn’t have played him.” Or: “The doctors shouldn’t have given permission for him to play.” There’s the blame within the club. Nothing wrong with that. If that’s the case, there’s a problem and it’s in the benefit of the club he points that out. So thank you, Puyol, the people who should feel targeted hopefully got the message and won’t make the same mistake twice.
I don’t say everyone should be 100%, they should be fit to play what could mean 80% for some, I guess. And I think Messi is never 100% and that every game you have the risk of him dropping out with a muscle inury. So communicating about it or not doesn’t make a difference. Like everybody knows Henry isn’t totally fit. Like in the other cases cause the opponent also reads the daily reports about the Barcelona training sessions, so everybody knows who didn’t come out but stayed in the gym and isn’t perfectly fit. And what if? Would the opponent give orders to their players to target the knee of a Barça player cause it was communicated his knee is weak?
blaugranafan // Mar 6, 2008 at 13:56
Pep–You make a good point re: some blame lying with the club, IF in fact Messi was not fit to play. But I don’t know that this is necessarily the case.
I would say also that despite the heavy media coverage over Messi, there still is a strategy behind the club’s decision to not communicate certain information. As a parallel, consider the no comments made by Bill Bellichick over Tom Brady’s ankle in the lead-up to this year’s Super Bowl. Everyone knew Brady was wearing a support device on his ankle, but Bellichick tried to make the Giants uncertain about Brady’s health by not saying anything about the situation.
And in response to “Would the opponent give orders to their players to target the knee of a Barça player cause it was communicated his knee is weak?”, I think the answer is unfortunately ‘YES’ in some cases.
pep // Mar 6, 2008 at 15:08
Marca says today that Rijkaard commented before the match that Messi had problems and that there was a high risk he would get injured (http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/1a_division/barcelona/es/desarrollo/1097500.html) . Neeskens apparently hinted something similar before the Atletico game. Whatever it is, the decision was not good. A Celtic game that was already in our pocket for 90% wasn’t worth taking this risk.
FCB - Canada // Mar 6, 2008 at 18:05
Regarding the Madrid loss. That is great news. I think their spirits will be down so maybe we can pickup 3 points over them this weekend when they face a tough Espanyol side. Granted our game will be tough as well. Maybe our boys will dedicate this game to Messi with a strong win.
Leave a Comment