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You cannot play against Barcelona with a two-man attack that is as static as the one that Manchester City played on Tuesday night. I could not believe that Manuel Pellegrini went with Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko up front and that he asked neither of them to drop off when City lost the ball to deal with Sergio Busquets.
Busquets runs the game for Barcelona. He gets the ball forward to Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic and from there it goes to Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. And then you’re really in trouble. You have to put someone on Busquets. I would have played James Milner and Samir Nasri on the flanks, Aguero on his own up front and have had David Silva dropping into the middle to deal with Busquets.
If you do not deal with playmakers like Busquets or Andrea Pirlo then they will cheerfully destroy you, and that is what happened to City in the first half.
Show all 21 1 /21Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings MANCHESTER CITY: Joe Hart Dramatic injury-time penalty save from Lionel Messi kept his team in the tie. Though couldn’t get close to either of Luis Suarez’s goals. 7
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Pablo Zabaleta With the movement of Neymar and Suarez to defend against, the Argentine right-back was far from his usual attacking self down the wing. 4
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Vincent Kompany Clumsy header allowed Suarez to open the scoring. City’s captain will have be having nightmares about facing Messi again in three weeks’ time. 3
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Martin Demichelis Couldn’t near to Suarez for the Uruguayan’s second goal, and constantly struggled against the rapid attacking trio of Neymar, Messi and Suarez. 4
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Gael Clichy Will miss the second leg because of rather harsh dismissal after clashing with Alves. Made some key interceptions to get City on the attack. 6
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Fernando Wasteful in possession in the middle, and passing was wayward at times too. The Brazilian failed to get a foothold in the game. 3
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings James Milner Had a great opportunity with 25-yard free-kick in the first-half but decided to keep his effort low. Chased shadows for most of the match. 4
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Samir Nasri Failed to continue his fine recent run of form with a tame display against the Spanish giants. Eventually substituted off in the 62nd minute. 5
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings David Silva City’s playmaker grew in influence as the game wore on at the Etihad Stadium. The Spaniard’s outrageous touch assisted Sergio Aguero for the goal. 7
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Sergio Aguero Quiet in the first half but burst into life in the second. The Argentine forward terrorised Barca after the break and hard work yielded goal. 8
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Edin Dzeko Edin’s heading let him down on more than one occasion, but put in a shift closing down Barca’s defenders and running the channels. 6
Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings BARCELONA: Marc Andre ter Stegen The young German, who hasn’t made a league appearance this season, was rarely tested – but when he was he did not always look completely comfortable. 6
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Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Dani Alves The marauding full-back is not the dynamic attacking threat he once was, but he was still able to find acres of space in which to run. 7
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Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Javier Mascherano Confident when Barça were in possession but struggled with Aguero’s pace and Dzeko’s strength – not the towering centre-back he used to be. 6
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Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Jordi Alba A brilliant attacking force, the tiny Spaniard owned the left side and is a capable defender, too. A blatant dive marred his performance. 8
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Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Ivan Rakitic Had the run of the park in the first-half when City left themselves too exposed. But as the home side improved the Croatian struggled. 7
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Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Sergio Busquets Love him or loathe him, Busquets plays a crucial role in making this team tick. A willing worker, he never takes more touches than necessary. 8
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Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Andres Iniesta A masterclass in keeping possession and picking the right moments to attack. City gave Iniesta far too much respect and he made them pay. 8
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Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Lionel Messi Had been the best player on the pitch before pulling rank late on to deny Luis Suarez a hat-trick – but missed the penalty and the follow up. 8
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Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Luis Suarez Back in England with a bang, Suarez shows Liverpool just what he was missing with two predatory goals. The work-rate was there, too. 8
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Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2 player ratings Neymar Didn’t shine quite as brightly as the other two but had Pablo Zabaleta scurrying in fright for the first time this season with some wonderful skill. 8
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In some ways I admire the principle of a manager who is determined that his team must play their own game. But this was not Newcastle at home, this was Barcelona. They are not as good as the Barcelona team that won two European Cups but they still have very high-quality players if you let them play the way they want to.
Read Scholes' full column for this week HERE
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