Manchester City Pay Heavy Price for First-Leg Naivety vs. Barcelona

Football can be ruthlessly unforgiving. For half-an-hour of this match, Manchester City worked tirelessly to try and contain a wonderful Barcelona side who led 2-1 from the first leg in Manchester three weeks ago.

Their game plan, quite rightly, was to gain a foothold in the game, frustrate Barcelona, and try to find a momentum-shifting goal from one of their forays forward, and with 30 minutes gone that plan was working. Barcelona were the superior side, but City were holding firm.

But then came a moment of supreme skill from Lionel Messi, a quite brilliant pass that took the City defence out and played Ivan Rakitic in on goal. The Croatian midfielder, so impressive in the first leg three weeks ago, came in unmarked at the back post, produced a deft lob over Joe Hart and the tie, effectively, was over.

What followed was unrelenting brilliance from a side who are right back to their Pep Guardiola-era best after a season of relative underachievement under Gerardo Martino. Messi nutmegged Fernandinho numerous times early on, and then did the same to a sprawling James Milner, left to pick himself up off the turf as the imposing crowd inside the Camp Nou cheered in appreciation at what they were seeing. Messi looked totally unplayable, back to his 2011 best, perhaps even better.

David Ramos/Getty Images

It was a breathless first-half display that further underlined the difference between the two sides. Barcelona move the ball quicker, are more inventive in possession, play with an almost unfathomable belief in their own ability and possess a blend of pace and skill that City simply cannot match. It’s beautiful artistry blended with ruthless efficiency.

The second half could easily have turned ugly for City, and but for the brilliance of Joe Hart, who produced arguably his finest display for the club, it would have done. Luis Suarez, Neymar and Messi all had chances as City were torn apart again and again.

City created chances in the second half, none better than when Jesus Navas, a second-half substitute who added impetus to their attacks, found himself in a great position only for his final ball to let him down as a mad scramble ensued, and Sergio Aguero won a penalty after being caught by Gerard Pique inside the box but saw his spot kick saved by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

Only Hart’s brilliance stopped Barcelona from adding further misery. This was a sublime display from the City goalkeeper in a match that became an almost personal duel between the England stopper and Messi, with Hart, somehow, keeping him out. His save from point-blank range with just a couple of minutes left was probably the best of the lot, but there were so many to choose from.

It was perhaps one of the most one-sided 1-0 wins in Champions League history.

"

If you're going to have a career-best performance, might as well have it in the Nou Camp #Hart

— Mark Ogden (@MOgdenTelegraph) March 18, 2015"

There’s no disgrace in losing to this group of players—this is one of the finest squads ever assembled—but, for City, the frustration comes from a first leg in which they gave themselves a mountain to climb.

Manuel Pellegrini stuck to his favoured 4-4-2 formation, a system that left City too exposed in midfield, where, without Yaya Toure, and with Fernandinho inexplicably left on the bench, Barcelona poured through the Blues’ midfield with ease.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

This time, Pellegrini did show caution, selecting Aguero as a lone striker, with a five-man midfield in support. It worked better, but it was too little too late.

It feels like a hugely important summer for City. This is a squad of players that needs an injection of youth, pace and urgency. The average age of their squad is 28.9, and that needs addressing if City want to make further progress in Europe. Right now, they are too far behind the heavyweights to even consider being contenders to win the Champions League.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.