Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff once said of Lionel Messi: “You can never lose sight of Messi. You must always know where he is.”
Such is the caliber of the little Argentinian that he will shred the defence in a split second, pouncing on the slightest mistake or gap.
In other words — to stop Messi is to stop Barcelona.
But is Barcelona’s passing ‘carousel’ the only reason teams lose against them? No. It is their technique to win back the ball when they lose possession which makes them so hard to beat.
Shaping up to tonight’s mammoth challenge, here are the key battles that will determine the finalist of the European Champions League this year.
Chelsea’s defence vs Lionel Messi: Ashley Cole used to once be the best left-back in the world. Of course, age and other reasons may have taken that away from him but on his day Ashley can be good. Or, really bad. With Messi in top form this season, Cole will need to stay focused, disciplined and refrain from darting forward because Messi will be all over… not just on the right. The same stands for Branislav Ivanovic if Messi switches to the left. It will be interesting to watch John Terry taking him on. If he sits back deep and avoids making careless tackles, then they may contain him for some time. If not, then all hell will break loose. 63 goals in 52 appearances is pretty indicative of what he can do.
Terry takes on Messi during their 2009 encounter. Reuters
Michael Essien vs Xavi Hernandez: If Barcelona are as smooth as Ferrari wheels, then Xavi is the gearbox that dictates how they roll. Essien is far from his monstrous self of 2009, when he scored a ridiculous volley from 25 yards in the same fixture. He has mellowed down after a spate of injuries and has made only 12 appearances this season. In spite of that, he will still be the man responsible to stop Xavi and Andres Iniesta’s forays into the attacking third.
Frank Lampard vs Sergio Busquets: This is totally relying on Lampard being picked ahead of Raul Meireles. He has the experience and the ability to pop up in the box just when it matters most. He does not have the legs anymore but is still Chelsea’s most influential player. He has had a patchy season in terms of appearances but still tops Chelsea’s goal charts with 16 in all competitions. As far as Busquets is concerned, he should easily stop Lampard. This battle is the most important one if Chelsea are to win.
Didier Drogba vs Gerard Pique: Will Fernando Torres be left on the bench in favour of the Ivorian? Highly likely. Drogba is a player who has never stopped. Not even at his age. He is a late bloomer and continues to shine. If the Drog has his day then forget about Pique, not even Carles Puyol can do much about it.
Juan Mata vs Javier Mascherano: Maybe Mascherano will be preferred ahead of Puyol simply because of his Liverpool experience and tackling prowess. No disrespect to Puyol, but Macherano has done very well this season. These two small players will go head on as Mascherano the stopper meets Mata the creator (he has 16 assists and 12 goals this season). Mata’s creative instinct will determine how well Drogba is fed.
It is still unclear who will start on the left flank for both teams. Cesc Fabregas has been playing there for Barcelona to great effect and Daniel Sturridge, though impressive has lost some steam. Florent Malouda or Salomon Kalou may be chosen ahead of the Englishman. For Barcelona, Alexis Sanchez is another option and most likely will start. He has been devastating at times for them and his battle against Ivanovic and Cole will be one to savour.
