There are several theories about how Barcelona managed to create history in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Barcelona were 4-0 down on aggregate from the first leg of the last 16 tie, and had been played off the park by Paris Saint-Germain a few weeks previous.
No team has ever overcome such a deficit to advance in the competition, but the Catalan side managed it and in the most dramatic way possible.
Barcelona won 6-1 on the night, 6-5 on aggregate, with Sergi Roberto’s goal in the 95th minute putting the home side into the quarter-finals.
Some reckon Barcelona’s comeback was down to PSG collapsing and bottling it. The French side managed only four passes between the 85th minute and the final whistle, and three were from the kick-off.
PSG completed just FOUR passes between the 85th minute and full-time.
THREE of those were from kick-off after conceding Barcelona goals. pic.twitter.com/G0odu6jhjj
— James McManus (@JamesMcManus1) March 8, 2017
The performance of Neymar was also a key factor in the comeback. The Brazilian forward was sensational.
Neymar kept his cool to score a penalty, he scored a stunning free-kick and created the final goal with a wonderful lofted pass to Sergi Roberto.
It’s also difficult not to mention the referee, who awarded at least one soft penalty, and many chose to focus on his performance.
On BT Sport, when they stopped celebrating the last minute goal, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard had their say on the astounding comeback by Barcelona.
The former England trio were, of course, complimentary of Barcelona, but made some interesting points about PSG’s tactics.
"We're already 4 goals ahead, yes – 4 goals. I think we'll make it this year…" 🙈🙈 https://t.co/p25RGtYNJ8
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) March 9, 2017
Ferdinand couldn’t understand why the Parisians changed their tactics so much from the first leg when they were so successful.
“The way they played in the first game, pressing high, it worked so well, why go away from that?” the former Manchester United defender said.
Gerrard said that it is very difficult to press high against Barcelona at the Nou Camp, and questioned why PSG appeared to play right into Barca’s hands with their tactics.
The former Liverpool midfielder has been quite reserved as a pundit so far, but he came to life with some interesting points after the dramatic game.
Mes que un club. Incredible https://t.co/dhuAisll8Z
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 8, 2017
“It’s tough Rio, you know, you played at the Nou Camp,” Gerrard said.
“How I felt they went wrong, over the 90 minutes is, they never played long once. They were trying to play in little triangles, it invited the pressure, and Barcelona suffocated them.
“They’re not used to playing in a block (sitting deep and being defensive).”
Owen claimed that PSG’s inability to switch up their tactics, and play long, relates to their experience in the French league, where they dominate possession against teams.
https://youtu.be/GoOmLLlMQNU?t=6m30s
