Former Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher heaped praise on Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde for a tactical shift which inspired another Lionel Messi magic show.
Messi scored his 599th and 600th Barcelona goals to help his side to a commanding 3-0 first-leg lead over Liverpool in their Champions League semi-final clash.
However, the scoreline told only half the story, with Liverpool the better side for much of the opening hour, and threatening to level the scores following Luis Suarez’s opener, before Valverde made his key change.
Philippe Coutinho, who had been quiet against his former side, was withdrawn, replaced by right back Nelson Semedo, and that allowed Messi into a central role just off Suarez.
From that position he suddenly came alive, scoring twice, the second a wonderful free-kick, to put Barca within touching distance of the Champions League final.
“Messi did not dictate the game tonight,” Fletcher said on BBC Radio 5 live. “He was not really in the game but, like we’ve seen [Cristiano] Ronaldo do, he came alive to be the decisive goalscorer. You have to give him credit for that.
“Barcelona didn’t control the game, Liverpool pressed high but credit to the manager Valverde for changing the formation and stopping Liverpool.
“A combination of the manager and Messi changed the game for Barcelona. People say that Barcelona never change the way they play but the manager Valverde made it 4-4-1-1 and it freed up Messi to make the difference.”
