City pay the price for riling Suárez
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
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"More inspired, more motivated" thanks to a cool reception at Manchester City FC, Luis Suárez was not the only fired-up FC Barcelona player, writes Simon Hart.
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• Luis Suárez spurred on by hostile reception in 2-1 win at Manchester City FC
• FC Barcelona man "more inspired, more motivated when fans boo"
• City keeper Joe Hart says his side "panicked a bit" and "backed off"
• Vincent Kompany puts defeat down to "us not turning up"
• The second leg is on 18 March, with the quarter-final draw two days later in Nyon
Luis Suárez did not receive the warmest of receptions, but the jeers that greeted his first touches were only an extra motivation as he made a triumphant return to England.
Suárez's two first-half goals in FC Barcelona's 2-1 round of 16 first-leg win over Manchester City FC on Tuesday were his first double in club football since he left Liverpool FC last July. They were also his first brace in a competitive fixture since he scored twice past City's Joe Hart when shattering England's FIFA World Cup hopes in Brazil. They were two wonderfully clinical finishes and the message from the Uruguayan international afterwards recalled Dr David Banner's 'don't make me angry' warning in The Incredible Hulk.
He told UEFA.com: "Obviously it is pleasing, first of all to be able to help the team with important goals in a Champions League knockout game [and] of course to come back to England and [win] against a team you're always motivated to play against. There are certain types of players like me who get more inspired, more motivated when fans boo them – it helps motivate you a bit more."
If Suárez's strikes were decisive, he was just one bright star in the Catalans' constellation with Lionel Messi – despite failing to beat Hart with a last-minute penalty – equally brilliant. Barcelona's game in the opening 45 minutes was a blur of movement with Messi at the heart of it. He drove forward at City's defence – notably in the build-up to the second goal when he took out four defenders before supplying Jordi Alba to cross to Suárez – and also epitomised the visitors' hungry pressing when sliding in to regain possession on the halfway line before launching another first-half attack. Messi even had time for a party piece: killing a ball dead on his toes as it span out beyond the far post.
According to Suárez, the end product was one of the best displays of the campaign by Luis Enrique's men: "We produced a really good game, the team in general, and managed to take advantage of the space City left open. We were clever in our reading of the game and we created a lot of openings and could have scored another goal."
For City, by contrast, it was a first period where they were anything but the "aggressive" team that Manuel Pellegrini had promised in his match programme notes. The Chilean surprised many observers with a 4-4-2 formation – rather than going with a single striker and five in midfield as he did for City's victories over FC Bayern München and AS Roma. Goalkeeper Hart reckoned the English champions "panicked a bit" and "backed off" as Barcelona swarmed over them, while his captain Vincent Kompany argued that a passive City had made it easy for Barcelona before the break.
"It was mainly down to us not turning up," he told UEFA.com. "Teams can play well and teams can beat us, it happens. But the way we played in the first half wasn't us. In the second half, credit to ourselves, against a strong Barcelona team we started being dangerous and making them hesitate and lose balls."
For Kompany, City have "given ourselves a bit of hope" thanks to Sergio Agüero's 69th-minute effort. They had Gaël Clichy sent off – their third red card in as many matches against Barça – but will at least have Yaya Touré back from suspension at Camp Nou, where Hart's spot-kick save means they still have a chance. "It is the first time we have had a bit of luck [against Barcelona]," said Kompany, whose side will need plenty more if they are to pull off an unlikely comeback on 18 March.