Three things we learned as PSG beat Barcelona 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

FC Barcelona welcomed PSG to the Montjuic Stadium to face them in a League Phase game in the Champions League. Ahead of the game, there was a lot of anticipation about how a clash between these two sides would play out.

PSG were the best team in Europe last season, lifting the Champions League title by beating Inter Milan 5-0 in the final. On the other hand, Barcelona played one of the most attractive brands of football in Europe over the course of the 12 months.

Everyone was anticipating a clash between the two sides last season, but that never happened. Ultimately, when they met each other, the Parisians emerged as 2-1 winners over the Catalan club thanks to a very late goal from Goncalo Ramos.

With all this in mind, here are the three things we learned from Barcelona’s 1-2 loss to PSG at the Montjuic Stadium.

1. Eric Garcia announces himself

There weren’t many positives to take from Barcelona’s game against PSG on the night, but arguably the biggest one was Eric Garcia. The Spaniard was given a huge vote of confidence by Hansi Flick, who started him ahead of Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen in the big game.

Eric lined up in central defence along with Pau Cubarsi and did not put a foot wrong. Despite his partner having an off game by his own lofty standards, the 24-year-old commanded the backline and always emerged on top in his duels.

The Spaniard’s passing doesn’t need any introduction. He helped calm things down when Barcelona were in control, and defensively, he didn’t let his lack of pace affect him. It was a game that reminded everyone just how much Eric has improved.

It does look like Eric has established himself as one of the first-choice central defenders for Hansi Flick. For a player who almost left the club last January, it has been a remarkable turnaround, and one can only hope for it to continue for a long time.

2. Flick got outmanaged by Enrique

It is not always that you see Hansi Flick get outmanaged in a football game. The German coach has shown that he is a master at reading the game and making mid-game changes that often influence the result positively for the Catalan club.

Against PSG, however, Barcelona started the game as the much better team and even managed to secure an early lead. However, once Lucho figured things out and made tactical changes, Flick was found wanting with his setup.

The ex-Bayern boss is an expert at making substitutions mid-game that alter the momentum, but his changes on the night simply didn’t work out. It is safe to say that between the two managers, it was Enrique who came up trumps.

3. Refereeing controversy in Barcelona vs PSG

This isn’t to make an excuse or to claim that Barcelona played good football on the night. The Catalan club deserved to lose this game based on the balance of things, and the final result was a fair indication of how things played out.

That said, some of Michael Oliver’s decisions on the night were questionable, and none more so than his call not to send off Nuno Mendes for what was a cynical foul on Lamine. The Portuguese international was already on a yellow card at that point.

Premier League fans would be used to Oliver’s antics at this point, but at the Montjuic, it was Barcelona who were at the receiving end. The referee also did not care to protect Pedri, who was kicked, bruised, and battered by the PSG players all night.

Eventually, it was Hansi Flick who had to make the difficult decision to bring him off, considering how the PSG players were treating him on the night.