The mighty Barcelona were put to the sword at the Etihad last night as their former manager became the Man with the Golden Gun. New signing Ilkay Gundogan twice materialised in the box to help himself to a brace of quality, putting the finishing touches to two sensational moves as City tore the Catalans to shreds in the second half of this pulsating Champions League match, the type of which, nowadays, looks to be almost permanently absent from a stadium just outside Manchester.
Guardiola knew his charges had to set out on the front foot, keep possession and if possible get an early goal. Barcelona had been forced to reshuffle their pack in the absence of one of my favourite footballers, Iniesta, plus injuries to key players such as Pique and Alba. Add to that with replacement Matthieu ending up on the suspended list alongside Coco Bravo and the chances were bound to arrive.
From the off Sterling looked the ticket. Destined to terrorise Digne, who twice chopped him down from behind in the first ten minutes. For reasons more opaque than a dentists reception window, the normally card-sharp Magyar arbitro decided not to visit his pockets, simply issuing warnings in respect of fouls that would have earned him two cautions in the Premier League and seen his side limited to ten.
It was inevitable, though, that the Hungarian Herbert would select the first opportunity to caution a City player at the first opportunity. And Sterling`s yellow card for diving when, once again, he clearly had his legs taken away in the Barcelona penalty area was plain incompetence.
Inevitable also was that more or less the first time that “the World`s Team” attacked, they would score. From a sustained period of City attacks, where we actually got a free kick, they skipped away from Aguero`s blocked shot and in two passes the Maestro Messi crept into the box, eluded two defenders before sliding it past Caballero, putting the final touch to a move he started deep in home territory. And it had taken them 20 minutes.
Any thoughts that Barca might have been prepared to let this game go were dispelled as they celebrated their goal.
This appeared to take the stuffing out of City for a few minutes but they re-grouped due to a lung-bursting performance by Fernandinho in midfield and sparkling play all around him. Although wary of being hit on the break again, the Blues forced themselves forward taking a good kicking in the process from a team not shy of leaving a foot in or indeed, putting a foot in. Even the mighty Messi offered the order of the boot on occasions.
Five minutes ahead of the break though we discovered that Barca , too, can make unforced errors as Sergi Roberto directed a routing pass into the heart of his own defence. Aguero was quicker than the makeshift central defenders. Last season he would have taken a shot, but he spotted a superb run by the revitalised Sterling, who drove a cross behind the Catalan defence. Six-shooter Gundogan materialised out of nowhere to sweep home the equaliser. City and their fans now believed.
The tide was turning. It started Blaugrana, dropped the grana and translated the Blau from Catalan to English Blue.
The second half performance by City was simply exceptional. One thing Barca do not like is having it put up them and City did precisely that, reducing them to the kind of dirty, time-wasting, referee-baiting team were have seen near Manchester on occasions. Busquets, another of my favourites, tumbled holding his head when in fact he had been muscled out of things by the effervescent Fernandinho. Messi and Suarez were reduced to leaving snidy ones around the ankles of Silva, Gundogan and De Bruyne as they got into their stride and proved themselves too classy for their mighty counterparts. Indeed, Busquets finished shoring up the defensive line as he did once in a Champions League cup final against Stretford`s finest.
But the attacking waves were blue and when our Hungarian whistler at last gave City another free kick in an interesting location up stepped Kevin De Bruyne. He patiently sized up the Barca wall, weighed up the position of Ter Stegen and went for it. Postage stamp, top corner and Ter Stegen going with the wrong hand. City were 2-1 ahead. They needed to survive 40 minutes in the lead against a team that could spring to life at any moment.
When that moment arrived Neymar drove the ball against the woodwork with Caballero clutching the air. This slice of luck finally told the City side that this could be their night.
Chances had fallen. Sterling, clean through before De Bruyne`s goal took an extra touch and killed a golden chance. Silva, too was likewise guilty. He still hasn`t got the knack of hitting it first time. At this level that simple extra touch closes down the space and top-class defenders know how to negate opportunities. Mascherano did this.
Neymar hitting the bar had left the fans in nervous mode, so City needed a third goal. It came in the shape of another sweeping City move which tuned the Barca defenders around and left them pretty much flat-footed.
Aguero received the ball thirty yards out. He had Silva left, Navas right and De Bruyne centre. He played it to the latter who spotted a fantastic run by Navas behind the Barca defender whose pinpoint cross was Aguero`s moment. For some reason, the Mighty Atom slipped, the ball rebounding off his chest. Once again Gundogan appeared from nowhere to slide it past Ter Stegen to claim his second brace in two matches. Sterling, Silva, watch and learn. You see the whites of the posts and you hit it. Amazingly it goes in.
Barcelona did not have the answer to this and everything they tried thereafter amounting to nothing as City stood up and matched the World`s team in every department. Indeed you would have thought that City`s players were wearing the Blaugrana shirts by the end.
Easily their best performance in modern times, City are now starting to come of age in this competition. And stating your case against Barcelona is the best place to start.
Fernandinho ran himself into the ground, before giving way to Fernando in a move that didn`t weaken the team. Navas, too, when he appeared for Sterling did not give the luckless Digne who looked like something from Sonic the Hedgehog, any respite.
Gundogan was simply superb. Along with De Bruyne he took the game to Barcelona, rattling Rakitic, battering Busquets, negating Neymar. City injected a sense of disappointment and frustration among the Barcelona players as each and every one of them stepped up to the plate. Otamendi probably had his best ever game and Stones was cool and confident hardly putting a foot wrong. Between the pipes, Caballero was also brilliant. No chance for the goal but dominating the space in front of him from set pieces and distributing reasonably accurately. Caballero is a giant of a man and for me, given a run of matches, is probably a better bet that Clownio. Aguero would have loved to score, but his new-found zest and work rate can`t have gone unnoticed. He played a blinder without getting on the scoreboard.
Barcelona are in need of an injection or two. Rakitic doesn`t cut it for me and around him in midfield, Iniesta excepted, I don`t see too many frights. Dear Susan will strangle anyone who suggests that they need someone like Coutinho.
Indeed, Burnley away will give City a sterner test that Barcelona did. Having whacked the World`s finest it is now time, amid the euphoria to return to the bread and butter of the Barclays Premier League and teams like Middlesbrough and Burnley. We need to show them respect. They will not show it to City. I`m glad in some ways that this match took place on a Tuesday, allowing Pep to give them a day off to recover before the preparations begin to combat Boro then a team that helped themselves to a 0-0 draw in Goonerville.
Confidence must be at an all-time high. City destroyed Barcelona. It could have emulated what happened at Sold Trafford five years ago, the Blues were that good. However Barcelona were not that bad and for City to be tidying them up with something to spare.
Four points will ease City into the round of 16. Six points could see them top the group especially if Gladbach give The World`s Team a fright.
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