Barcelona vs. PSG: Lessons Learned from Champions League Game
Barcelona earned the top spot in Group F Wednesday with a 3-1 win in the UEFA Champions League over Paris Saint-Germain.
Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez scored a goal each for the host side, who ended group play with 15 points from a potential 18.
Winning the group helped the Spanish side avoid Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Porto and Monaco in Monday's knockout round draw.
As for PSG, they will be handed a tough draw in the knockout round with six potential suitors waiting for them, including four of the clubs mentioned above and the two Madrid sides. They can't be drawn with Monaco since they both play in Ligue 1.
Here's a look at the lessons we learned from Barcelona's two-goal victory at the Camp Nou.
There's No Shortage of Fireworks When These Two Sides Meet
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Just like in the first match between these two sides on Matchday 2, the stars delivered impressive goals for their respective clubs.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a clever volleyed attempt from inside the penalty area. Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez all scored after that for Barcelona, with the Brazilian's goal in the 41st minute being the most spectacular of the three.
Unlike some stars who don't show up in the biggest games of the season, all four of the marquee names delivered in the 3-1 Barca win.
With that in mind, we wouldn't be against having the two sides face each other in the knockout phase or in next season's group stage.
Andres Iniesta's Dirty Work in Midfield Allowed Neymar to Score
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When everyone talks about Neymar's splendid strike right before half-time, they will start the conversation by discussing the Brazilian's terrific technique.
While the shot was quite the impressive one, it wouldn't have happened without the play of Andres Iniesta in midfield. To set up Neymar's run into the attacking third, Iniesta made a clever pass around a defender to the feet of the Brazilian.
It may seem like a rather small play in the grand scheme of things, but by making the casual pass over to Neymar, Iniesta gave his side plenty of momentum heading into the half.
Both Sides Need to Work on Their Defending
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The first two goals of the match saw both sides commit brutal defending errors, as they failed to mark Ibrahimovic and Messi.
In the 15th minute, Ibrahimovic was left with acres of space to shoot after he received a pass from Blaise Matuidi, who was tightly marked. The closest players to the Swede were Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets, who were both a good five yards away from challenging the PSG forward's shot.
David Luiz earned a deserved amount of criticism four minutes later when he let Messi cut in behind him to knock home a Suarez pass.
Although the defending did get better as the match progressed, both sides still have some work to do in the back four if they want to make a long run in the knockout rounds.
Marco Verratti Was a Star in Midfield for 61 Minutes
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During his 61 minutes on the pitch, Marco Verratti was arguably the best player on the pitch.
The Italian was a menace in the defensive half of the midfield against the dangerous Barcelona attack, especially when he took on Lionel Messi.
The 22-year-old made five tackles and one interception for the Parisians, according to WhoScored.com, but was sacrificed for Javier Pastore with his side down a goal in the second half.
With Verratti off the pitch, PSG lacked a punch in the middle of the park. His absence was eventually taken advantage of by Messi in the buildup to the third Barcelona goal, which was the dagger to PSG's group-winning hopes.
Luis Enrique's Interesting Lineup Didn't Teach Him Anything New About His Side
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When Barcelona's starting 11 was released before the match, there were a few questions as to where certain players would line up.
For most of the match, the Catalan side utilized a back three of Gerard Pique, Jeremy Mathieu and Marc Bartra with Pedro and Neymar on the wings.
The formation didn't differ too much from what the club usually employs, as they still had three central midfielders line up behind the attacking arsenal of Messi, Suarez and Neymar.
The biggest alteration came on the right wing, as Pedro was ordered to hug the touchline in order to create more width in attack. The plan worked on a few occasions, but the winger didn't make a massive impact on the match.
If there was any match for Luis Enrique to test a new system, Wednesday was the day to do it, with qualification to the knockout round already secured. However, the new formation didn't teach us anything new about Barcelona's usual starters.
Lucas Moura's Wasteful Chances Eventually Cost PSG
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When the game was still tied at 1-1, Lucas Moura had a chance to hand PSG a valuable one-goal advantage.
Instead of finishing off his 29th-minute chance, the Brazilian sent his shot off to the left. Before Barca scored their second goal 12 minutes later, PSG failed to create a chance better than that one.
Things got worse for Lucas in the second half, as he was too hesitant in front of goal on a move forward in the 52nd minute. Lucas got free down the right wing and had a chance to slide a shot past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Instead of letting loose at the right post, Lucas made a mess of the attempt, which ended in a Barca clearance.
If the Brazilian had finished either chance, PSG would have had an opportunity to mount a comeback and earn the top spot in the group.
Due to his lack of finishing, Lucas and his teammates will hope to avoid a difficult draw in the round of 16, which will be a hard thing to do with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and others in the pot of group-winners.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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