Not for the first time, Barcelona dominated possession against quality opposition, on Tuesday evening taking a point away from San Siro with a 1-1 draw against Milan. The Champions League clash against the Italians gave La Blaugrana an early opportunity to bounce back after surrendering their 100 per cent La Liga record against lowly Osasuna at the weekend.
Barcelona boasted the meanest defence in Spain going into last night’s game, having conceded just six times in nine outings. They patently do not have the best defenders, however, and Milan exposed them straightaway, reawakening concerns over the Catalans’ defensive frailty.
Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano were equally culpable in allowing Robinho to pick their pocket and play a one-two with Kaka before calmly slotting past Victor Valdes. The warning signs had been there two minutes earlier when the same combination allowed Sulley Muntari to finish – fortunately, for Barca, from an offside position.
Tata Martino has so far resolutely refused to sign a permanent replacement for Carles Puyol, preferring to persist with Mascherano alongside Pique. Against Osasuna, Puyol gave a performance that belied both his age and his long absence from the starting XI, but failed even to make the bench against Milan. So defensive were Milan, however, that apart from that early slip, Valdes remained a virtual spectator.
The talismanic qualities of Lionel Messi and the very special skills he possesses created a sense of inevitability about Barcelona’s equaliser, which then provided a cue for the remainder of the match to be played out in cagey fashion, despite Martino’s men enjoying 65 per cent of possession away from home.
Barca went down 2-0 to Milan in last season’s Round of 16 in the same competition, bouncing back to win 4-0 at Camp Nou in the return. There is less urgency in a group they will be confident of topping, but they are not playing like a side that might repeat that feat, regardless of their ability to retain the ball.
The Messi-Neymar conundrum could be a factor here. In the absence of Messi for most of Saturday’s draw in Pamplona, the Brazilian had more freedom to express himself. He was ultimately ineffective, however, drifting from the left to the centre but failing to link up effectively with either Pedro Rodriguez or Cesc Fabregas. As a result, Barca seemed devoid of ideas without the Argentine and had only three shots on goal.
With the return of Messi against Milan, Neymar appeared to revert to a more subservient role, prompting again the question of whether the two men can really play together in the same team. Barca relied too heavily on balls played through to Neymar and Messi in the centre instead of switching play to the flanks and using and the attacking pace of Adriano and Dani Alves.
Opponents, whether they are Osasuna or Milan, find it easier to contain Barca by denying their most talented attacking players a path to goal.
Real Madrid are next up for Barca on Saturday in the season’s first Clasico. Martino’s approach will be vindicated with a win, but any other result will just increase the size of the question marks.
