Defender Gael Clichy believes that Joe Hart’s penalty save can be the turning point in the two legged affair against Barcelona in the Champions League.
The penalty save from Lionel Messi figures highly in most of the after game reports, and with manager Manuel Pellegrini saying it gives us a chance and hope, Clichy went one stage further and said that it categorically could be the ‘turning point’ in the last 16 stage.
The Manchester Evening News have him quoted after the game as saying.
‘We always say you have to look for the positives and I think this save was a massive one. I am not talking about the quality of Joe, because he is one of the leaders in the dressing room and on the pitch, and this save could be the turning point. I am not saying it’s going to be easy, and you cannot say this save is going to make us win the game. But for sure 2-1 is a different score to 3-1 and we have to look forward.’
Clichy appreciates that our chances are improved with the knowledge that Yaya Toure will be back for the second leg, and given our second half performance and the fact we played better in the second leg last time out – hope is the watchword for the tie.
That will be a game that Clichy himself misses after picking up two yellow cards in the first leg and being sent from the pitch leaving us to close out the game with only ten men once more, and with both bookings being controversial for some Clichy said he felt harshly done by as for him the referee wasn’t consistent.
‘If you play by the rules, they are probably two yellows, but I have done two fouls during the game, and I wouldn’t even call them big fouls. So probably after the first booking, if I had made four or five fouls and the ref is saying ‘ok, the sixth one is enough’ that would have been fair. But it was only my second one, and they made some fouls as well, probably worse than mine, and didn’t get booked. But that’s the way it is and I can’t complain because by the rules it is probably two bookings.’
With City’s record for gathering reds against Barcelona, Clichy went on to say that he does necessarily feel that the perceived smaller teams in the competition get treated fairly when it comes to the likes of Barcelona.
‘We always say that big teams are not playing with the ref, but you can see that some times in Europe the biggest teams can get an advantage. I am not saying the ref had a bad game at all, because the two bookings were deserved, but it could have been different. I am not sure you want to end it like this. Those fouls in England are not bookings, but we were in Europe. But the game is not over.’
Bit difficult to argue that line, as even if the ref was quick to the second yellow, if the players think a referee is going to be like that – then don’t fly in unnecessarily and use your head instead so they don’t get the opportunity to flash the cards so easily.
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