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Pochettino's verdict
“It was a tough game. When you concede in less than two minutes, you have to completely change everything. It is so difficult to assess because the emotion becomes tough against a team that has players like Messi, Suarez and Coutinho .... That is why I want to congratulate the players for the way they fought. I’m so proud of them, the effort was massive. We were good in the second half. But it is difficult to come back after giving a team like Barcelona a goal. But the most important thing was the character we shoed in the second half. Of course there were a few mistakes - that is clear - and when you do that in football at this level, you can concede a goal.”
As for Messi, Pochettino says. “He’s a fantastic player. The most important thing is that he shows in every game why he is Messi. He doesn’t have one game where he gives an average performance.”
Our man Daniel Taylor was at Wembley and here’s what he made of it.
Kieran Tripper has just shared his thoughts on TV: “Everybody knows they’re a quality side. We were disappointed to go a goal down so early. It was a strange game, with them also hitting the post twice in the second half. But we managed to get back into it ... The boys gave everything and we were much better in the second half.” As for the performance of Messi, the fullback says: “You dream of playing in games like this and playing against players like Messi. He was unbelievable today. .... We’ll keep on going. Barcelona were the better team tonight but there were positives we can take out of it.”
Full-time: Spurs 2-4 Barcelona
A rollickingly entertaining game ends with a deserved win for Barcelona, who attacked brilliantly and scored some wonderful goals, albeit thanks partly to sloppy Spurs’ defending. Messi was marvellous. Spurs scored a couple of excellent goals themselves and will wonder how things might have panned out if they had been at full-strength. But they don’t have the squad to cope with many injuries and ultimately they were not good enough to get the best of a Barcelona side who will go far in this tournament if they continue attacking like this like this and shore up their defence. Spurs, meanwhile, have zero points from two matches. They’re not out of it but will probably need to beat PSV twice, Inter at home and get at least a draw at the Nou Camp.
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90+4 min: Spurs can’t get the ball. The only question, then, is whether Messi has time to plunder the 43rd hat-trick of his absurd career.
90+3 min: Dier booked for a high tackle on Suarez.
GOAL! Spurs 2-4 Barcelona (Messi 90)
And that’s that. Messi applied the final touch but really Spurs shot themselves in the foot, giving the ball away as they tried to play their way too casually fro the back. Lloris, Trippier and Sissoko were all at fault. And Barcelona punished them expertly, with Suarez throwing in another wonderful dummies to let a pass from the left run to Messi. WIth more time than he needed right in front of Spurs’ goal, Messi gave Lloris no chance.
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89 min: Alderweireld makes an interception on halfway and then strides forward. The move loses some impetus when he passes in-field to Dier, but Spurs eventually work a crossing opportunity for Moura on the right. His delivery is headed away.
Barcelona substitution: Vidal on, Arthur off.
86 min: Tripper sends over an outswinging corner. Alderweireld beats Pique to it ... but his header is not powerful enough to beat Ter Stegen.
85 min: The pesky Lenglet deflects Kane’s header behind after the corner. Spurs have another one ...
84 min: Brilliant run by Moura, beating one at the edge of the area and then chopping quickly on to his right to eliminate another defender. He then lets fly from 10 yards ... but Lenglet flings himself in front of the shot to deflect it behind for a corner!
84 min: Pique cuts out a cross by Kane aimed towards Llorente.
Barcelona substitution: Miranda on, Coutinho off.
83 min: That new dimension that Llorente is supposed to give Spurs’ attack is yet to become apparent. Barcelona are keeping them too far away from goal.
81 min: Winks picks out Moura with a low pass from midfield. The Brazilian takes it and turns, skedaddling forward a few years before drilling a shot into the arms of the keeper.
Spurs substitution: Llorente on, Lamela off, limping a little after a fine display. This could give Spurs’ attack a different dimension, and Barça’s defence a new challenge.
77 min: Nice, patient move by Spurs, culminating with a pass dropped by Dier on to the foot of Trippier, who sends in a fine low cross from the right. Nobody gets on the end of it.
76 min: Valverde is on his haunches on the sideline, looking decidedly stressed as Spurs try to rally for a final push in a game that Barcelona thought they had wrapped up.
75 min: Kane booked for being kicked by Pique as the defender inevitably followed through after clearing the ball.
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74 min: Davies pops into an advanced position to receive a pass from Kane at the edge of the area. But the fullback then shanks his side high and wide. No matter, he was offside anyway.
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73 min: Sissoko has replaced Son a few minutes ago.
71 min: Busquets booked for chopping down Lamela as Spurs launched a counter-attack.
69 min: Have to admire Barcelona’s determination to extend their lead rather than just cling on to it. They figure that playing the game in Spurs’ half is the best way to ensure the win. It’s making for an engrossing spectacle, with the tempo rising fast.
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67 min: Lloris rushes off his line to beat Suarez to the ball. He taps it past the Uruguayan and chases after it on the other side! But who beats him to it? Only Messi! Alderweireld makes a timely intervention to save his keeper and keep this game alive!
GOAL! Spurs 2-3 Barcelona (Lamela 65)
Hold on, what’s this!? Game back on! After Arthur gave the ball away, Spurs worked the ball to Lamela about 20 yards out. He took a touch, looked up and curled a beautiful shot into the top corner, with an important nick off a defender. There’s more than one ingenious Argentinian on the pitch!
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62 min: Barcelona are hogging the ball. But don’t fret, Spurs fans, because Sissoko is warming up. “Even by our usual spectacular efforts, it’s quite something to have taken last season’s high points, sprinkle them with talks of brave signings and electric Cup football nights in one of the world’s most incredible stadiums and end up playing in Milton Keynes and a silent Wembley with half a team,” sighs Dom in Kent. “Oh and jack season ticket prices through the roof and be dicks about it all while doing it. One wonders about Levy’s acumen sometimes. Last ‘deadline-day magic rabbit idea’ to push the team on, was to break our transfer record on a dustbin-skilled Arsenal fan who every single supporter of a struggling Newcastle personally offered to drive down to N17 AND pay for the petrol – and so to this year when apparently all we needed to compete on every front with the world’s best was to add Jack Grealish, though not enough to bid actual money for him.”
59 min: “Messi slips a pass through to Suarez, who opens fire on the run from the right. But he doesn’t catch it properly and it’s an easy save for Lloris, who doesn’t look up to making any other ones tonight. Meanwhile, Alfredo Estrade has a word to encapsulate Rakitic’s goal. “sobrepique: over-bounce if translated literally, ‘after-bounce’ if you want to be more clear about the meaning. That’s the word for the half-volley you’re trying to describe, in the southern corners of South America... we do have a language rich in futbol terms.”
Spurs substitution: Dier on, Wanyama off. It’s difficult to see that altering the course of this game, not least because it doesn’t address Barcelona’s numerical superiority in midfield. And there’s nothing Pochettino can do about their technical inferiority there.
GOAL! Spurs 1-3 Barcelona (Messi 56)
There goes Spurs’ hope! Messi kills it off with a cool finish from near the penalty spot after arriving from deep to meet a low pull-back, thanks partly to clever dummies by both Coutinho and Suarez.
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52 min: Lamela collected the ball on a counter-attack, mid-way inside the Barcelona half and central. He quickly fed Kane on the left-hand side of the box. With Semedo standing up to him, Kane turned one way and then back on to his right foot and used the defender as a screen as he curled a low shot past the keeper and into the bottom corner. Excellent finishing and it means this game a’int over!
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GOAL! Spurs 1-2 Barcelona (Kane 52)
A lovely finish by Kane and suddenly Spurs have hope!
50 min: This is ridiculous! Messi embarks on another intricate, deceptively fast run, starting from the left and veering in-field to th edge of the box and then unleashes a shot from the same position as before and hits almost exactly the same spot on the post!
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48 min: Can’t help thinking while watching this that it’s obvious why Paul Pogba might fancy playing for this Barça side but it’s not at all clear that they need him on this evidence (or, indeed, on the evidence of most of Pogba’s performance for Manchester United).
47 min: Messi skitters between two Spurs’ players as if they’re not there and then tries to pass the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. It bounces out off the butt of the post! Lloris was well beaten. “I hope Spurs salvage defeat from the jaws of despondency and despair,” hollers Andrew Benton. Arsenal fan perchance?
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46 min: Here we go again. No changes by either side during the interval.
In the other game in this group, it’s PSV 1-1 Inter at half-time.
“I know you’re busy and that and you do a fantastic job ...” begins Paul Howlett ominously. “... but when you describe Barça’s second goal, if he hits a bouncing ball it’s not a volley, is it? A volley is that sweet shot before it bounces: half-volley just after the bounce. Sorry, it’s one of those niggles.” You’re right and that’s been changed, although the key is in my description rather than the terminology. Because the terminology is inadequate really. We need to distinguish between a shot hit just as the ball bounces and one struck as the ball is high in the air after bouncing, like Rakitic’s. Which is a half-volley? This is an issue I have previously discussed at length and amid colourful swearing with the great Rob Smyth and, if I recall rightly, there was some support for deploying the term ‘bolley’ to refer to a shot hit as soon at he ball bounces. Drink may have been taken.
Half-time: Spurs 0-2 Barcelona
Two outstanding goals and a dominant passing performance have put the visitors in almost total control here. Depleted Spurs will have to do something highly improbable to salvage anything from this game now. They need to find a way of gaining a foothold in midfield for a start, and can certainly do without another goof like the one perpetrated by Lloris in the run-up to the first goal.
45+1 min: another long ball leads to a chance for Suarez, whose shot from the edge of the area is deflected out for a corner. Barça takes it short - their homage to the Reims side of the 50s - but it comes to nought.
45 min: There’s lots of groaning from the Wembley crowd at Spurs inability to match Barça’s passing play when they eventually get the ball. The visitors are bossing this.
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44 min: Lamela booked for a foul that I, but not the ref, missed.
43 min: Arthur practically takes the mick with some wonderful close control and wriggly running in midfield as Spurs players charge around trying to dispossess him.
41 min: Wanyama booked for boshing into Messi near half-way. Not the most surprising development, it’s true.
40 min: Spurs pile several players into the Barça box as they attack with gusto. Tripper delivers a teasing cross from the right, but Semedo heads it clear.
37 min: Barça are suffocating Spurs now. Meanwhile, if you want to visualise what that Rakitic goals was like, think back to Mark Hughes famous strike for Wales against Spain many years ago and picture one not quite as good as that. Rakitici didn’t go horizontal in mid-air, see, but it was brilliant, all the same. “A friend of mine had a rabbit called Flopsy McManaman back at primary school,” recalls Maracas Flute.
35 min: Alba spots a canny run by Suarez and nearly picks him out with a pass over the top from halfway, but the Uruguayan’s control lets him down. They’ve used long passes well so far.
33 min: Messi is finding space in threatening positions with a regularity that must distress his compatriot Pochettino.
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32 min: Moura feeds Kane, who again does well to hold on to the ball amid pressure before helping it on to Lamela, haring into the box down the left. Lamela’s low cross takes a deflection off Pique and is rerouted towards the net! But Ter Stegen reacts smartly and bats it away with one hand.
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30 min: Spurs have a problem now and no mistake. It’s hard to see how they can do more to create the openings that have eluded them so far without exposing themselves to even more danger from a Barça team who are razor sharp going forward. And theres little on the bench by way of cavalry.
29 min: The move that preceded that goal was excellent, but the finish was simply exquisite. Messi started it with a dinked pass into the box to Suarez, who chested it into the path of Coutinho, who didn’t connect properly but managed to stop the ball from going out of play, sending it bouncing towards the edge of the area. What Rakitic did next was incredible: He leapt high to get above the bouncing ball and lash a wonderfully-controlled half-volley in off the post from 20 yards!
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Spurs 0-2 Barcelona (Rakitic 29)
That is a stupendous goal!
26 min: Alderwerield goes long to Son at the edge of the D. The Korean lays the ball back well to Kane, who unloads a swirling shot from about 25 yards. It’s a fine effort and well held by Ter Stegen.
24 min: Busquets is back on the pitch, where his team are looking comfortable.
22 min: Busquets is down receiving treatment for a little cut on the knee.
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21 min: Moura finds Kane, who does well to hold on to the ball despite pressure from three defenders. But he eventually has to pass it backwards and Spurs’ attack fizzles out.
19 min: Son tries to sprint past Semedo down the left but the defender matches him for pace, leading to the frustrated Korean committing a foul. The crowd boo, but that’s really just a sign of their anxiety rather than fair criticism of the ref. “I had a hamster that I named after Juninho and then it got really fat so changed his name to Jamie Pollock,” reveals Luke Nicholas. “The final twist was that we then found out he was a she so the name became Jemma Pollock.”
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17 min: Son and Winks pester Barça into coughing up possession inside their own half. But the ensuing attack is too frantic and fails to make any inroads.
15 min: Alderweireld booked for pushing down Coutinho after the Brazilian rolled him and looked certain to collect a long pass from Pique. The freekick is about 28 yards out, to the left. Messi curls it into the danger zone, Lenglet heads over.
13 min: That’s better from Spurs! Tripper curled a nice low ball forward to reward a smart run by Lucas Moura, who tries to find Lamela near the penalty spot. But Pique cuts it out.
11 min: Spurs continue to have possession, but only in innocuous areas. Barça aren’t minded to give up their leads easily. “Our friend’s giant, ginger fuzzball of a cat was called Carlos (after Valderrama) and their shared hairstyle,” announces someone called The G Unit.
9 min: Spurs are finding their feet, stringing together some decent passing sequences. But Barça are pressing fervently and it’s hard for the hosts to get near the opposing box.
7 min: Lamela’s freekick delivery is dire.
6 min: Spurs try to work their way into the game but it’s all a bit blustery. But they get a freekick wide on the right when Messi, of all people, smashes into Trippier. Meanwhile, anyone in addition to the chap below name a pet after a footballer? Someone must have a spider called Yashin?
@Paul_Doyle I named my scruffy haired guinea pig Archibald after Steve Archibald due to his unkempt hair
— Paul Howarth (@TOOFEE) October 3, 2018
4 min: Wanyam clunks down Messi mid-way inside the Spurs half, giving Barça a freekick. The visitors have been much the better side so far, looking real slick while Spurs are alarmingly ragged.
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2 min: From inside the centre circle Messi sliced Spurs open with a precise low pass behind Trippier. Lloris came charging off his line in a doomed attempt to intercept near the corner of his box. Jordi Alba inevitably got there first and cleverly played a sideways pass in-field to Coutinho, who took a touch and slotted into the net from 20 yards, past a defender on the line.
GOAL! Spurs 0-1 Barcelona (Coutinho 2)
A beautiful pass by Messi, a misjudgement by Lloris and a fine finish by Coutinho add up to a dreadful start by Spurs!
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1 min: Spurs v Barça is go! The Londoners, all in white, take kickoff.
The Champions League jingle is playing and everyone is looking dutifully solemn. When it ends, an excited roar goes up around a full Wembley. Folks are in the mood today, at least in the stands.
The teams are in the tunnel, side by side and greeting each other amiably. Messi and Lamela go a step further and give each other a warm hug. No so much as a shove or jabbed finger in sight. Roy Keane would be outraged.
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A word from the man signed by Barça from Spurs to replace Diego Maradona ...
Just looked at the story, the reason Archibald left Barcelona was because of injury, just wanted to clarify that mate 🤓 https://t.co/qbLuPxewlx
— Steve Archibald (@SteveArchibald8) October 3, 2018
Pochettino speaks
Asked how tough it is going to be to play against Barcelona without several important players, Pochettino replies: “It’s not tough. We are so motivated. It’s a moment to step up for some players who don’t start consistently. We knew at the start of the season this would be a massive challenge but we’re not complaining and not finding excuses. We just have to try to play better than the opponent. They key today is to be offensive and try to have the ball in possession and try to force them to defend and go backwards. The most important is to be aggressive and try to play the ball in their half. That is the key to beating this type of team.” Pochettino is pretty much the direct opposite of Jose Mourinho, isn’t he? And yes, including his trophy count.
There’s a large patch of rough ground right in the middle of the Wembley pitch, a remnant, apparently, of Anthony Joshua’s recent scrap there. So don’t be surprised to see these sides hoofing the ball from box to box to avoid the bobbly bits. On the other hand, nah.
Barcelona tend to be arthouse darlings these days, even if affections are waning a little, but back when they met Spurs in the clubs’ only previous competitive tie – the 1982 Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final – they were very different beasts. Here’s what Martin Cloake and Adam Powley made of their display at White Hart Lane, as written in the book Glory Glory Nights: “The match began testily and got worse as a series of Barcelona fouls, sly transgressions and blatant assaults went unpunished. When referee Egbert Mulder finally dismissed Juan Estella in the 57th minute, all hell threatened to break loose. At one point a policeman had to intervene to stop Martin Manolo from attacking an increasingly incensed Graham Roberts.”
Here’s a clip, which also includes the sort of goalkeeping howler that Hugo Lloris will be looking to avert on his return to action today.
Roberts needing police protection to fend off aggression? That was a turn-up, alright. When that Barça side next visited England – to play Aston Villa in the Super Cup – their approach was so outrageous that Uefa’s disciplinary chief, René Eberle, threatened to have them kicked out of European competition, telling the Guardian: “I was horrified. We are all getting sick and fed up with Barcelona behaving in this way. Football has a bad enough reputation as it is and they are making it worse.” Mind you, Villa gave as good as they got that night.
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Teams
As expected, there is no Eriksen, Alli, Dembélé, Vertonghen or Aurier for Spurs. It looks like they’re going with a back four, with Wanyama and Winks in the deep midfield positions. Their bench looks weak. As for Barça, that defence can be got at. But how about that front three? And they could spring Dembélé and Vidal from the bench if need be.
Spurs: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies; Wanyama, Winks; Lucas, Lamela, Son; Kane.
Subs: Gazzaniga, Rose, Dier, Walker-Peters, Skipp, Sissoko, Llorente
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Arthur; Messi, Suarez, Coutinho
Subs: Cillesen, Vermaelen, Rafinha, Dembélé, Munir, Vidal, Denis
Referee: F Zwayer (Ger)
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Preamble
Last season Spurs thrashed Real Madrid and Liverpool at Wembley but both those teams – not Spurs – later contested the Champions League final. That sums up where Tottenham are at: tantalisingly short of where they would like to be and maybe even where they should be. But in which direction are they moving? Forward? Or backwards as a result of the summer’s inertia in the transfer market? This match will provide more clues.
If they beat Barcelona despite being deprived of five important players through injury, then that would suggest their squad is stronger than supposed and Mauricio Pochettino does indeed have special powers. A defeat, meanwhile, would reinforce fears that Spurs have left themselves too threadbare and are stalling or slipping into reverse after four strong years under Pochettino. It would also, on the back of the loss at Inter in their group match, slash their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Barcelona also have problems, mind, even if they walloped PSV 4-0 in their opening game in this group. They have looked far from fearsome in their domestic league this season and have been substandard in away European matches for a while. They have won only three of their last 10 European matches on the road and looked like a team at the end of their cycle when they were outfought and outmanoeuvred on their way to being dumped out of thus competition by Roma last season. They have brought in some new blood since then but maybe not enough and of not enough quality. But they’ve still got some nifty players – including that Argentinian forward best known for being born on the same day as Rochdale goalkeeper Josh Lillis – so this should be a proper test for Spurs, and a right treat for discerning onlookers. Humdinger ahoy!
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