Xavi wins first battle against Luis Enrique but the war isn’t won

The managers went tit for tat at the Parc des Princes

What a feeling for Barcelona to be back in the Champions League quarterfinals, and to emerge with a victory away from home nonetheless.

The first leg against PSG had everything.

A developing rivalry between the giants of France and the giants of Catalonia, two sides that really don’t like one another after a history of remontadas, and player poaching.

One of those players, Ousmane Dembele, looked like he was going to play the role of hero against his former team, after a trademark right to left golazo, only to squander the opportunity to go ahead 3-2 with a wide open goal beckoning.

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Barca fans will no doubt register their feelings against the Frenchman during the return leg at the Estadi Olímpic.

But the biggest storyline was always going to be the Xavi versus Luis Enrique showdown, made all the more spicy by pregame comments that Lucho made comparing the two coaches, and their Barcelona bona fides.

The two are not just former teammates, but a former player-coach tandem that won a treble together.

Luis Enrique would never have won those trophies as Barca manager without having a Barca midfield, led by Xavi, at the height of their powers.

In the end, we learned about the strength of PSG and Barcelona, as well as their deficiencies.

The first leg was a game of momentum shifts, which the managers played a big part in orchestrating.

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To start the game off, Xavi got things right, but that’s not to say that Luis Enrique necessarily got it wrong. There’s always an element of fortune, and how you react to it. More on that later.

Xavi had important decisions to make, especially in the midfield.

The backline mostly picked itself, and with the good form of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal, so did the forwards.

In the end, Xavi opted for experience in the midfield with Frenkie de Jong, back from injury, Ilkay Gundogan, and Sergi Roberto.

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That was a wise choice, because to start the game, PSG came out strong showing their formidable attacking firepower. Although there was one critical absence left on the bench.

Barcelona had to withstand the early storm, and grow into the game.

Against a team with perhaps the most electric player in the world in Kylian Mbappe, and another one versus one juggernaut in Dembele, Barcelona was always going to have to be disciplined, organized, and patient.

And for the most part, they achieved this goal with aplomb in the first half. In fact, they did enough to allow time for themselves to catch the Parisians off guard, breaking through eventually with a surprise goal from Barcelona’s workhorse in residency, Raphinha.

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Surprisingly, Barcelona was either not super interested in possession in this game, or they simply did well responding to what Paris threw at them. At the final whistle, they had only 41% of the ball, but still managed to produce more shots on target, by a 7 to 6 margin.

But Luis Enrique, one of the best managers in the game, didn’t sit on his hands at halftime. He brought in Bradley Barcola, changed the structure of his team, playing Dembele off to the left now with the freedom to drift towards the middle, and was rewarded almost instantly.

Dembele scored the type of goal that only two footed players like him can. And PSG kept their foot on the gas, with Vitinha slipping through a sleepy Barca defense just two minutes later.

Here we go again. Culers have seen European meltdowns plenty of times before over the past decade.

But Xavi, who looks like a manager with a weight lifted, was quick to react with his in-game management.

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It was a surprise to see Pedri getting ready, one of three midfielders to make their comeback from injury in this game. What a difference a little bit of rest makes.

And the magician went to work with his first touch of the game.

Raphinha, who seemed to never stop running with every minute he was given, once again found himself open in front of goal, and buried the sensational over the top pass he received from Barca’s young star.

But that wasn’t all.

On came Andreas Christensen, who also proceeded to make his impact felt right away with a perfect goal from a header off a corner, within minutes of entering the game.

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And that’s what being a manager on the big stage is all about. You can’t freeze when the momentum shifts in the other direction.

In the end, it was too late for Luis Enrique to make another move.

But going into the second leg, you can bet this tie is far from over.

Kylian Mbappe, who was impressively neutralized by the Barcelona defense, will be a man on a mission.

Dembele, who will no doubt hear a chorus of boos, could very well use that to motivate him to have another big moment.

And Luis Enrique, above all else, will have more to prove than anyone else.

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He started a beef with Xavi, whether it was malicious, or even intentional, or not, and now will need to prove he can make the decisions to come out on top against his former club.

Xavi has the benefit of being a liberated man.

His team is playing their best football of the season. And, at the moment, it seems like lady luck is on his side.

But when push comes to shove, he’ll be called on to get his lineup right, and to manage the game calmly and wisely in live time.

There’s a massive opportunity in front of him to make an even deeper run in the world’s biggest competition. It would be an epic achievement to see Barcelona make it to the semifinals, and possibly, beyond.

Xavi is already a legend.

The question now is whether the legend continues to grow.

Source: barcablaugranes.com