Why Barcelona's Away Day Blues Are Behind Them

Barcelona evidently were in Paradise as they stepped onto the Celtic Park turf. So said the mosaic which adorned the main stand. 

The raucous atmosphere that greeted the players was anything but serene but the Blaugrana immediately set about gaining revenge for last years' reverse, and in so doing, find themselves their own corner of Utopia in Glasgow.

With Lionel Messi out injured, there was palpable expectancy swirling in the Scottish air. Could lightning possibly strike twice?

Barca signalled their intent by only allowing Celtic two brief touches in the first two minutes of play. The Hoops simply coudn't get near the ball and were pegged back in their own half as the Catalans fully expressed their passing game.

It was a full five minutes before any chance of note for the home side, Georgios Samaras winning a corner which came to nothing. Would we see the hosts "smash and grab" again—as per The Telegraph, possession stats from the corresponding match last season seeing Barca enjoying 86% possession but still going home with nothing?

Unlikely, as the Barca we saw tonight was more in keeping with the side that habitually steamrolls La Liga's finest. Marc Bartra continued to deputise for Javier Mascherano and his defensive excellence shone through time and again. The boy was becoming a man before our very eyes.

Although Barca dictated the possession and Celtic looked to hit them on the counter—in echoes of last year—Barca’s threat was more obvious, with chief protagonist Neymar being played in at every possible opportunity.

You could still sense a panic whenever there was a high ball into the Barca box, such as when Georgios Samaras intelligently won a free kick on 14, but Bartra's diligence alongside Gerard Pique kept any worries to a minimum. On this form, you feel Mascherano shouldn't be considered an automatic pick. 

The hosts huffed and puffed and manager Neil Lennon would surely have been happy with their industry, if not their quality. The strong nature of their challenges were in stark contrast to the finesse and craft of the visitors who gave a much better account of themselves than the last time at this venue.

Barcelona's intensity matched that of the vocal home crowd—a noise that dissipated dramatically to a hushed and nervous noise each time the visitors poured forward. Celtic’s passing was poor and just 53 passes in total compared to Barcelona’s 310 after 38 minutes of play, requires no further explanation.

Although we reached the break still goalless, Neymar's wonderful outside-of-the-boot flick from a Dani Alves purposeful cross, deserved to send Barca into the lead. 

Perhaps the most worrying aspect of Barca's first-half play was the wayward passing of Xavi Hernandez. A theme which continued into the second half and which gave the hosts some early reward in their attacking verve.

Barcelona’s high, and fast, pressing game gave Celtic barely any time to settle on the ball, and was chiefly the main difference from the last time these two teams met. This was never better shown than in the 67th minute as four Barca players surrounded the rampaging Samaras to win back possession.

The speed with which the away side continued to recycle the ball was a joy to watch, and any brief threat by Celtic was snuffed out almost immediately as Pique and Bartra continued to develop their understanding. It is a partnership that appears more natural than that of Pique/Mascherano, and it will be a test of the manager's credentials as to whether he opts to look at the future or stick with the tried and tested.

With the old warhorse Carles Puyol still to be added back into the mix, Tata Martino is giving himself the luxury of a set of viable defensive options.

This was a match to suit Puyol—Celtic's physical game much in evidence during the second period. It got the better of Celtic captain Scott Brown when he was red carded for kicking out at Neymar—who had already skinned him for pace and was heading goal-wards.

As we approached the business end of the match, Celtic sub James Forrest brought the absolute best out of Victor Valdes with a stunning left foot half-volley which the keeper did well to palm over. From the resulting corner, Valdes was left flapping and only Charlie Mulgrew would be able to tell you how he missed the open goal.

Barca sent on Alexis Sanchez for Pedro, and his impact was immediate and decisive. The Chilean had time to measure a ball from Neymar and his delicious cross was met by Cesc Fabregas who sent it back from whence it came to see it nestle in the Celtic net.

It was no more than the Catalans deserved for what in truth was a masterful all-round performance against a much more physical outfit.

As if to illustrate Barca’s dominance further, their passing carousel was once again in full swing as the clock wound down—another full two minutes were lost to Celtic as the ball was knocked around them with ease. 

Celtic's huge goalkeeper Fraser Forster somehow kept the scoreline respectable with a stunning double-save from Neymar and Sanchez on 87 minutes and from the Brazilian again in injury time. 

This sort of performance from Barcelona is a hugely positive step toward their Champions League aspirations. They may have been outfought at times, but they certainly were not out-thought.

Martino is certainly answering all the questions at the moment.